JOHNSTOWN — A thief broke into longtime ice cream business Udderly Delicious early Tuesday morning, making off with at least over $1,000 in cash.
Udderly owner Jim Skiff declined to say Wednesday how much cash was taken. He said it was the first time his 340 N. Comrie Ave. business had been robbed.
“It was over $1,000,” he said.
Since the break-in, the popular ice cream stand has continued to be open this week, although Skiff said he immediately informed the Johnstown Police Department of the robbery when it was discovered.
Meanwhile, a $1,000 reward is being offered by Udderly for leads leading to the conviction of the thief. Skiff said the reward recipient’s name will not be released publicly.
Asked if he thought one of his past or present employees might be involved, he declined to be specific.
“I don’t know if it’s an inside job,” Skiff said.
The Udderly Delicious and Johnstown Police Department Facebook pages this week showed a black and white security camera video of the robber, but details are hard to ascertain, such as whether the person is a male or female. The robber is dressed in a hoodie and appears to have a backpack on. The video show a person slithering quickly through the window into the inside of the ice cream shop, bypassing the cash register and going directly to a bottom shelf and cabinet and taking bundles with apparent cash.
It was unclear if the window was locked.
The Udderly Facebook video of the robber this morning already received over 2,000 shares.
Johnstown police Chief David Gilbo didn’t return a phone call Wednesday. But the city Police Department’s Facebook page acknowledged the break-in took place around 2:30 to 2:35 a.m. Tuesday, and city police continue to investigate.
Police urged the public to respond to the video captured by the business’s internal video security system.
“If you possibly recognize the person in this video, please contact our office or message us via our department Facebook page,” police said. “Anyone in the area of 340 North Comrie Ave. on August 6, 2019 around the times of 2:30 a.m. and 2:35 a.m. that may have seen any activity is also asked to contact our office. Thank you for your support.”
The Johnstown Police Department non-emergency number is (518) 736-4021.
Udderly’s Facebook page states: “Please let us know if anyone knows this person by his/ hers actions. Maybe you know the sweatshirt. $1000.00 reward for information.”
Skiff said it wasn’t apparent to staff that Udderly Delicious had been robbed until later in the day Tuesday.
“We really didn’t notice anything was missing until [Tuesday] afternoon,” he said.
Skiff said this case is getting tremendous help from the public, for which he said he was grateful.
“The public is really working great for us,” he said.
He showed The Leader-Herald how the robber walked along the east side of the building, went to the far window on the right, and “snapped” the plastic off to remove the window before crawling inside. He said Udderly Delicious is now implementing more security measures for its building.
“We are looking to upgrade,” Skiff said.
According to its Facebook page, Udderly Delicious is a soft serve stand, with Gifford’s hard ice cream. The establishment also serves burgers, hot dogs, fries, chicken tenders, clams, shrimp and scallops.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached at [email protected]
