McAfee shop hit by burglars

VERNON-At about 10:30 on Sunday morning, Joe Lisa was on his way to a leisurely breakfast at the Sussex Queen Diner when he decided to stop at McAfee Auto Service, the shop he owns at the junction of Routes 94 and 517. "Something felt wrong," said Lisa. What he found when he entered the garage was an outrageous mess. Somewhere between dusk on Saturday and dawn on Sunday, burglars had struck, shattering a side window to break in and smashing a door to carry out their stolen goods. "Things were thrown all over the place," Lisa said. "I thought, ‘This is Vernon. Things like this don't happen here,'" said Lisa. "What I found was a real shock. All those expensive tools and diagnostic machines were gone. "With all the new cars being computerized, we need those diagnostic tools to do our work," he went on. "We use them every day." The stolen goods are worth around $20,000 Lisa said, adding that police had told him that the burglars must have known just what they wanted. They only stole the most valuable equipment. "It's an awful hassle finding all the receipts I need to file my insurance claim," he sighed. Lisa won't have to close down the shop while he replaces the tools, though. He said he still had enough tools to enable him to service the 60n100 cars he takes care of each week. "Business has been good," said Lisa. "I'm not going to let this slow me down." Lisa has owned the car repair shop for three years, and business has grown steadily. By Monday afternoon, Lisa had swept up the broken glass, replaced the door and boarded up the shattered window. The shattered door was propped against the dumpster, the shop was orderly, the phone was ringing and a car was in one of the bays awaiting service. "By tomorrow, the new alarm system will be in place," Lisa noted. Vernon police have asked that anyone with information about the crime to call Crime Stoppers at 973-300-2746. A reward of $1,000 is offered for information leading to the arrest of the burglars.