Murfreesboro Police search for man who uses rocks to burglarize businesses

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) -Murfreesboro Police need help identifying a man they say has burglarized dozens of businesses within the past five months using rocks to break in.

According to Murfreesboro Police, the suspect has targeted businesses in the early morning, using rocks to break the glass to get inside. Police say he grabs money from the register drawer and then leaves.

“Video surveillance has shown the burglar retrieving rocks in areas adjacent to the businesses to shatter glass doors or windows,” Detective Sergeant Tommy Massey, Murfreesboro Police Department Criminal Investigations Division (CID) said. “He is usually in and out within minutes.”

While committing burglaries, police say the man wears a hooded sweatshirt, and gloves, and carries a backpack. On Tuesday, April 26, the following five businesses were burglarized:

Taco Bell, 2732 Saint Andrews Dr.,

McDonald’s, 2674 New Salem Hwy.,

Crumbl Cookies, 2839 Medical Center Pkwy.,

Corelife Eatery, 2330 Medical Center Pkwy.,

Juicy’s Wellness Café, 2314 Medical Center Pkwy,

Only one of the businesses’ security alarms was activated.

“The burglar usually hits between 2 a.m. to dawn,” Massey said. “However, he doesn’t have a consistent pattern of when he commits the burglaries. He has gone weeks in between burglaries in some cases.”

Police believe that the serial burglar may be responsible for 34 burglaries in Murfreesboro since Nov. 2021. Officers believe he’s using an automobile because there have been business burglaries on the same night in other parts of the city.

There’s also a suspicion that he may be responsible for similar burglaries in several other Middle Tennessee cities.

“He may be the same person captured on video surveillance in Smyrna, Nashville, Mt. Juliet and Bedford County committing similar burglaries,” Massey said. “We are working with those agencies to help identify this burglar.”

Detectives have a few leads on a possible suspect and have retrieved evidence and submitted it to the TBI for processing.

Anyone with information on the burglaries or the identity of the burglar should contact Massey at 629-201-5521 or email tips to crimetips@murfreesborotn.gov. People can also leave a tip at the Crime Stoppers hotline at 615-893-STOP (7867).

Copyright 2022 WSMV. All rights reserved.