Overview
- Two masked burglars used hammers to smash into small trading-card shops in South Jersey this month and grabbed Pokémon cards from display cases in quick, targeted raids.
- Frank's Card Shop in Washington Township lost about $10,000 in product during an early July break-in and was later the focus of an arrest warrant for 31-year-old Rafael A. Gordian.
- Lurk Cards and Collectibles in Gloucester Township reported taking roughly $1,000 to $2,000 in Pokémon merchandise when the same pair forced entry in a later incident.
- Local police are investigating links between the break-ins, have increased patrols around card stores, and continue to search for a second suspect while urging the public to provide tips.
- Shop owners have emptied display cases, added cameras and glass-break sensors, and say the spike in thefts follows years of sharp price gains and social-media demand for collectible cards.