Several area business owners are relieved to know a man they believe has targeted them for months is finally behind bars. One of the owners' quick thinking landed the burglar in police custody.
Todd Santoro owns three laundromats around the city and sells equipment to many more. He just happened to have his laptop out Sunday morning around midnight. "Literally had it sitting on my nightstand with all the cameras open for all the stores and I blinked for a second, about five minutes probably and I opened my eyes, there's dirtbag."
The man he saw on camera at his 38th and Leavenworth location was the same man he believes has been wreaking havoc on laundromats around Omaha for months. "He's the exact same guy, same clothes, same jacket, same face, build, the works, that's been breaking into all the laundromats since August that we're aware of."
Santoro says he's seen upwards of $30,000 in damage to the equipment. "He wasn't just drilling out the locks or something like that, he would just make the equipment of no use, it was destroyed, that was his deal."
As police swarmed in cuffing the suspect, Santoro finally felt a sense of relief. "This is the type of person who is ruining these neighborhoods and just needs to go away for a long, long time."
Santoro said he and all the other laundromat owners have spent hours watching their security videos and even driving to their stores in the middle of the night to make sure everything is safe.
Police have not said if the man arrested is charged with all the break-ins. They also have not released his name at this time.
