TROY, Ill. — Police on both sides of the river are looking for a suspect who made hundreds of thousands of dollars' worth of rare cards disappear.
The heists happened this week and now investigators are asking for your help.
When customers come through the doors at Sam Bozarth’s Troy, Illinois, store he knows they’re there for one reason.
“You come to Realms of Gaming because we have the cards,” said Sam Bozarth.
However, Monday morning someone did a little shopping before the store opened.
“All of the glass at the front of these cases was all shattered,” said Bozarth. “All of the cards were gone.”
The estimated value of the cards stolen.
“In the ballpark of $100,000,” said Bozarth.
The thieves walked past hundreds of dollars’ worth of merchandise and focused on Magic the Gathering cards.
They took everything out of the cases, but there was one thing that the thieves missed: Security cameras.
“I’m wondering, is he local?” said Bozarth. “Has he been in here before? If so, somebody probably knows him, [that] kind of thing.”
It’s believed the same burglar pulled off similar heists in south St. Louis County targeting the same cards at Yeti Gaming and Game Nite.
“You always wonder why,” said Bozarth.
Surveillance video has been turned over to the police, but Bozarth said the cards are so rare that they will be easy to spot if someone tries to sell them to another store.
“I’m aware of how easily things are to sell," said Bozarth. "I don’t know if we’ll ever see our beautiful cards returned.”
That’s why he’s hoping someone recognizes the person in the surveillance photos which have been turned over to police.
“The guy wasn’t a very good criminal in terms of skills,” said Bozarth. “Hopefully he’ll be caught soon.”