Video: Burglar falls through ceiling

This guy has watched too much "Mission: Impossible," or perhaps, not enough.

Surveillance video released today of a pharmacy burglary shows one of the two suspects falling - less than gracefully - through a hole he cut in the roof of the business.

Police said the burglary of the Healing Pharmacy on Chelten Avenue near Greene Street in Germantown happened shortly after 3 p.m. on Nov. 22.

Two men, one of whom wears a hard hat, are seen on video approaching the pharmacy with a ladder in hand. Police said the men cut a hole in the roof of the business and one of the men can be seen trying to carefully lower himself down in to the pharmacy.

Instead, he falls directly on his butt as pieces of the ceiling crash down upon him. He then rushes through the pharmacy, throwing numerous prescription bottles in his book bag.

When asked what type of drugs the man stole, a police detective responded "They probably weren't Z-Paks."

The detective said the debris seen raining down on the place during the burglary wasn't water from a sprinkler, but rather insulation or drywall from the damaged ceiling.

Almost as entertaining as watching the thief fall through the roof is watching him make three failed attempts at trying to escape through the same hole he came in before he makes it out on the fourth try.

The suspect not only left the book bag he filled with drugs behind but also, his hardhat. Police said the hardhat had "Perryman Building and Construction" written in red on the front and the initials "D.A." written in marker on the inside.

This reminds me of one of my favorite stories I've ever written, that started out as just two men using rooftop holes to gain entry in to business but turned out to be so much more.

Anyone with information on the pharmacy burglary is urged to call Northwest Detectives at 215-686-3353.