BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. — For months, the owner of a Bridgeview restaurant had a donation jar on the front counter next to their register, aiming to raise money for orphans caught in the crossfire in Gaza. But last Thursday night, someone stole the jar and all the money inside.
“We had a huge money jar at the register there and someone decided to take off with it,” said Luaey Issa, owner of Holy Buckets Halal Chicken and Pizza in Bridgeview. “He came in, had a skull cap low and a medical mask on … He waited for that perfect moment and took off.”
According to Issa, there was about $2,500 in cash inside the donation jar, meant for an organization called Pious Projects.
Issa said about two hours prior to the robbery, he got a phone call asking about donations. When Issa checked the caller ID, he said he dialed the number and was connected to a B.P. Gas Station in Elburn, Illinois, about 50 miles away.
“[The gas station attendant] said, ‘Yes, somebody did come in and said my phone died, can I use yours?’” Issa said. “I thought it was odd. Everyone uses a cell phone. He sent me video footage and it was the same gentleman that came in here and stole the money.”
After taking off with the jar, Issa said the man walked to a car in the plaza adjacent to his business and took off.
After sharing all of the evidence he collected with Bridgeview police, Issa said he started a GoFundMe page, which has already raised more than $2,000 to recoup the losses from the stolen jar, and put out another donation jar — but this time it will be bolted down.
“For the past four months, we’ve done several campaigns where we’ve donated 100% of our sales, over $75,000 to this organization for kids,” Issa said. “So, it hurt us more than anything that someone would do that, it’s kind of low.”
Dana Rebik
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