LOWER MACUNGIE TWP, Pa. - Pennsylvania State Police reported five individuals stole $20,000 worth of merchandise from a Lower Macungie Township beauty supply store in under a minute.
Police say five men Monday entered the Hamilton Crossing Ulta Beauty on North Krocks Road in face coverings. They filled bags with merchandise then fled 40 seconds later before law enforcement could arrive.
No injuries were reported.
The robbery follows a trend of “grab and go '' thefts that occurred nationwide recently, costing stores tens of thousands of dollars. Police dubbed some, which occurred in late November at luxury stores in Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and a Chicago suburb, as "flash mob thefts.”
A recent survey from the National Retail Federation found many stores report an increase in criminal activity during the pandemic.
Anyone with information about the Ulta Beauty robbery is asked to contact the Fogelsville Criminal Investigation Unit at 610-395-1438.