Burglars clean out cash, candy from sandwich shop

PARRISH (FOX 13) - The owners of PJ's Sandwich Shop spent their Wednesday cleaning up a mess left behind by burglars.

"They just tore things up and that's what makes you mad,” said Teresa Giles. “I can't take care of anything and feed anybody until I get the place put back together.”

Teresa found the phone lines cut and the side door pried open to her family restaurant. Inside, she found another mess.

"They destroyed the ATM machine and took it in parts and the money in it," she continued.

Teresa found her safe twisted open like a can and money saved up for a family vacation was gone.

The thieves even took the smallest of items.

"They took all my reserve candy bar back-up that were under there," said Teresa.

PJ's is a staple in Parrish. Everyone coming through the area knows it well. The same family has owned it for 33 years and they only close on Sundays, holidays, and when they take an occasional vacation.

"I already had one customer that came and I got him a glass of tea because there was nothing else I could get him. He told me to put it on his tab," said Teresa.

Manatee County deputies are trying to find any leads.

"They were well prepared for this and, yes, it was definitely more than one person and they went in there knowing, it seems, like what they were going after and they got it," said spokesman Dave Bristow.

While Teresa keeps cleaning, she continues focusing on reopening for her customers.

"We will survive. It'll be replaced and we will move on," she said.

The Manatee County Sheriff's Office said PJ's does not have surveillance cameras, but they are checking neighboring businesses to see if any cameras caught images of the suspects.