Looters Destroy Mom-and-Pop Pharmacy in NYC: ‘I Felt So Powerless’

The Associated Press
The Associated Press
Hannah Knudsen

Looters ransacked a mom-and-pop pharmacy in the Bronx during Monday night’s free-for-all in New York City, destroying a business that took the family 14 years to build and leaving many unable to get their essential prescription drugs.

Surveillance footage shows looters breaking into Alico Pharmacy on Jerome Avenue and clearing the shelves as Monday night’s chaos slipped into early Tuesday morning. According to WABC, the Rodriguez family spent 14 years building the business.

The thieves can be seen stuffing bags and baskets full of store items and smashing the cash register. According to WABC, “the looters struck gold when they got into the narcotics cabinet, which they wiped clean.”

“Many of the shelves were filled with prescription medications for heart patients, cancer patients and people who desperately need their medicine,” the outlet noted, citing an employee who indicated that people have been calling about their medications. However, because of the looting, “they can’t serve them.”

“I felt so powerless,” said Andy Rodriguez, owner of the pharmacy. “Watching on cell phone. You can’t do anything”:

The family also owns another pharmacy in the Bronx, which was also “destroyed,” according to the outlet.

The Rodriguez family’s dire outlook is just one of many as emboldened rioters took to the streets of New York City, destroying businesses along the way:

Progressive leader Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Tuesday mused that “those in power” are attempting to draw attention to countless examples of looters and property damage as a means to “distract us”:

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.