A Massachusetts man is accused of breaking into the same Boston business three times in the last year.
James Schaff, 57, of Cambridge, was arrested after allegedly breaking into three businesses on Charles Street in Beacon Hill Wednesday night.
One of those businesses was December Thieves, which Schaff allegedly burglarized two other times.
Schaff has eight convictions on his record for breaking and entering and aggravated sexual assault.
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He was caught by officers at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday at 15 Charles St. holding a brick in his hand, police said.
"Anyone who's ever worked in a store that has a lot of glass is worried about things like this," said a man who lives and works on Beacon Hill. "But I'm not going to be afraid of everything every day."
The man was reminded of the break-ins from last summer.
On Aug. 24, 2023, Schaff was arrested and caught on video smashing the glass pane at another business and unlocking the door. He allegedly did the same at multiple establishments along Charles Street.
"With all the windows open, I feel like it's easy to see what can be a target, see if a place is occupied. But I think in general, like, break ins are rising in a lot of different places. So, not surprise, surprise for the area but not surprise in general," said Mackenzie Walo, who works in near the site of the break-ins.
Those working in the area, like Walo, said they feel safe and at the same time, helpless knowing there's nothing much one can do to stop someone from trying to break in.
"We have a choice and choices to just kind of deal with things as they come," said a resident.
Police added that officers found jewelry on the suspect. It's unclear if he's the same James Schaff from last summer.
The 57-year-old is expected to be arraigned Thursday on multiple charges. It wasn't known if he had an attorney who could speak to his charges.
