Caught on camera: Crowbar-wielding thief ransacks Goodale Farms

A masked thief wielding a crowbar apparently broke into Goodale Farms in the wee hours Tuesday and struggled to pry open a cash register — only to run off with a handful of coins, according to shocking surveillance video posted by the owner of the longtime Aquebogue farm stand.

The Ring camera footage, timestamped 1:50 a.m. Tuesday, shows a man wearing a blue cap and face covering entering the market at Goodale Farms on Main Road and repeatedly trying to crack open a black cash box with a crowbar.

After several failed attempts, the seemingly frustrated burglar finally ripped the box from the wooden countertop, pried it open on the floor and rummaged through drawers and other areas behind the counter.

In a Facebook post sharing the nearly 75-second video, Goodale Farms owner Hal Goodale summed up the thief’s haul.

“Anyone recognize this guy? So done with this sh-t… all he got was change, but I have hours of work to replace,” Mr. Goodale wrote.

Mr. Goodale said he empties the cash box every night because of previous thefts, leaving only about $9 in quarters and other loose change inside.

He jabbed the clueless crook for ignoring a freezer stocked with premium cuts of steak just a few feet away.

“It makes me laugh because there is a $60 ribeye sitting in the freezer,” Mr. Goodale told the Riverhead News-Review hours after the break-in.

Tuesday’s incident was hardly the first at the covered farm stand.

“It’s been about a year since someone did something like this,” Mr. Goodale said. “Over the last 10 years, usually once a year, we’ve tried to do different things to prevent it, but it is what it is.”

He said the current cash box — a small Harbor Freight safe bolted to the counter — replaced an earlier one after previous thefts. In one case, he said, a would-be thief spent about 20 minutes drilling into the box, walked away with only a few dollars and accidentally left behind a DeWalt drill.

Mr. Goodale said he didn’t report Tuesday’s break-in to Riverhead police, saying his past experiences weren’t worth the time.

“I called the police in the past,” he said. “They come down, and that’s two hours of my time with them trying to get the video. After that, they catch them, and nothing ever happens.”

His brother is already building a heavier-duty replacement counter and cash box, he added.

But Mr. Goodale said the repeated thefts have reinforced his decision to scale back. The Main Road property is under contract to be sold in about six months, after which the self-service farm stand and petting zoo will close, he said.

Goodale Farms will continue operating from the property through online sales and deliveries.

“You’ve got these types of people in the world,” he said. “The property is for sale, and by the end of the year, I believe it’ll be sold. I’m not saying that’s the reason why, but it’s definitely a contributing factor.”

The apparent break-in came just two days after the Goodale family celebrated daughter Katie Goodale’s gold-medal victory with Team USA at the World Lacrosse Women’s Championship in Tokyo, Japan, where the Americans defeated Canada for the title.

A Riverhead High School graduate, Ms. Goodale went on to star at Syracuse University, graduating in 2024 as the program’s career leader in caused turnovers. 

Despite the aggravation of another theft, Mr. Goodale said the family’s focus remains on celebrating his daughter’s accomplishment.

“We’re just extremely proud of her, the woman she’s become and the attitude and leadership she brings out there,” he said.