The owner of an online shoe shop said his 'worst nightmare' came to life after he returned from a holiday to find he'd been robbed of $100,000 worth of trainers.
Michael Giddens, who owns Heart and Sole Cinny, shared pictures of his ransacked storage unit on Instagram after the theft took place when he went on holiday on 27 March.
One CCTV clip shared by the shop owner shows the suspects leaving a lift with an empty trolley and seemingly pulling it over to a storage unit. Another clip shows them loading up shoe boxes on to the trolley, apparently after having removed them from the unit.
Advert
Watch the theft unfold below:
Giddens shared images of his ransacked storage unit in the aftermath of the robbery, showing empty shoeboxes littering the ground around empty shelves at CubeSmart Self Storage in Avondale, Cincinnati.
Another video, presumably filmed before Giddens went on holiday, showed the shelves packed to the brim with boxes.
Advert
Detailing his devastation on Instagram, the shop owner wrote: "On March 27th around 10pm my worst nightmare became a reality... I am heartbroken but I’m not going to give up... If you have any information on who may have robbed me please let me know."
Giddens said the thieves had made off with all 300 pairs of shoes in his storage unit, which were worth a total of almost $100,000 (£76,900). An investigation has been launched into the robbery, with Giddens hopeful the surveillance footage will help the police catch those responsible.
Giddens expressed regret over only having a small insurance policy for the sneakers, meaning the robbery has resulted in 'basically a total loss'. The shop owner has since started a GoFundMe page with a goal of $25,000 to 'recover some of the funds stolen and pay off... debts that the business had'.
Advert
"When I arrived back at my storage unit after my vacation I returned to see that someone had broken in and robbed me of everything I had. Over the past two years I have worked so hard to build a business that serves the community and to have it taken away over night is heart breaking," Giddens wrote.
"I hate to ask for help but I could use a little love right now. Thank you for your generosity!" he added.
At the time of writing, 8 April, Giddens' GoFundMe page has earned just over $7,000 (£5,300) of its goal.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Emily Brown