A business owner in San Jose’s Willow Glen neighborhood is speaking out after a recent break-in at his restaurant.
On Tuesday, there was a sign on the front door of the restaurant John's of Willow Glen, notifying customers that it was closed.
Antonio Carmona is the restaurant’s co-owner. He told NBC Bay Area he woke up Tuesday morning to a call. He said someone had broken into the restaurant overnight. His two registers were missing, and there was damage to his kitchen.
Carmona believes whoever broke in came in through a tube in the restaurant’s ventilation hood, which is only accessible from the roof.
“We call it the bell. It's sucking the air to get out,” he said.
Carmona said he came in and saw that the gas pipes under it were broken. A brick was found on top of the stove. Carmona said a couple hundred dollars in the registers was taken as well.
“But it’s the damage in the back. Because they broke our gas pipes and we had to restore it. That cost a lot of money,” he said.
Carmona told NBC Bay Area that he has been working in the area since 1989, and it's the first time something like this happened to him.
Carmona added the cost will be upwards of $4,000. He told NBC Bay Area that cameras did not capture who was responsible, but he believes they left through the back door of the kitchen.
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“I was saying like 'why do that to me?'" he said. "Do I deserve that? What have I done wrong? I wish I could see the people and I say, please."
It also affects Carmona’s employees, who couldn’t work or get tips on Tuesday.
Oscar, who works in the kitchen, said what happened is sad and greatly affects the restaurant.
Carmona said he filed a police report and that an officer came by. San Jose police on Tuesday night did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
