Sunrise Mall store reopens after burglar rammed truck through entrance

By Sara Beth Williams–
The JCPenney store at Sunrise Mall is back open for business, after a burglary suspect drove a pickup truck through the first floor of the building early Sunday morning.

The store was observed to be open for business as usual on Tuesday, Dec. 17, with plywood framing the two entrances, which were severely damaged when a suspect rammed a truck through one entrance into the building and then stopped to steal jewelry before using his vehicle to make his way out of the second exterior entrance. The interior entrance into the Sunrise Mall was not damaged.

Construction tarping from floor to ceiling blocked off damaged sections of the first floor on Tuesday while construction workers finished installing wood framing to one of the exterior entrances to the store, but much of the merchandise appeared undamaged and in place. The commotion of workers cleaning up the damaged areas of the store didn’t stop multiple shoppers from browsing and buying merchandise midday on Tuesday.

As previously reported, Citrus Heights Police officers were dispatched to JCPenney at Sunrise Mall early Sunday morning after reports of a burglary and discovered that someone had driven through the entrance of the store and into the jewelry section. Police said the suspect stole an “unknown amount” of jewelry and then fled the scene in the vehicle, exiting through another entrance of the store. Police were not able to locate any suspects when they arrived.

In a press release Sunday night, Citrus Heights Police said the vehicle used for the burglary was a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck that had been stolen from the Roseville Auto Mall prior to the burglary Sunday morning. Officers were able to locate the vehicle outside the city limits, which was subsequently processed by Crime Scene Investigators.

JCPenney was also hit with another jewelry heist less than a month ago, where police officers were able to recover at least $91,000 in stolen jewelry when they apprehended the suspect who had fled the scene on foot.

The investigation into the most recent crash and burglary at JCPenney’s is ongoing and anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Citrus Heights Police Department Crime Tip Line at (916) 727-5524. Anyone who would like to remain anonymous, please call the Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers tip hotline at (916) 443-HELP. Anonymous information leading to the arrest of the suspect is eligible for a cash reward.

*Updated to reflect the correct spelling of JCPenney