'Smash and grab' suspect arrested: At least 20 NDG businesses robbed over last few weeks

Montreal police have announced that at 4:30 a.m. they arrested a man in connection with a series of break-ins at businesses in the NDG area.

The suspect, 43-year-old Paul Costigan, was charged at the Montreal courthouse on Thursday with breaking and entering, theft, possession of tools used to commit a burglary and a disguise to be used for a criminal purpose.

Although at least 20 burglaries have been reported, the charges laid pertain to eight thefts in particular. Additional charges could be laid as the investigation continues, police said in a statement.

Multiple NDG merchants have been the victims of break-ins over the last few weeks, with the thief or thieves using the same "smash and grab" method at each business.

When Marie-Josée Bédard's husband arrived at their Monkland Avenue bakery on Tuesday at 3 a.m. to start work, the tempered glass door of Patisserie de Nancy had been shattered.

"It completely exploded," said Bédard, "and the cash was vandalized, it's the only thing they touched."

Fortunately, Bedard had deposited the money they'd made for the day so the intruder found nothing in the drawers except some loose change.

But instead of arranging holiday cakes and confections in her glass display case, the store owner had to spend time sweeping up the broken glass in her entranceway.

"It's upsetting especially at this time. We're drowning in work, it's the big time of year, the Christmas holidays," she said. "It's a lot of trouble. You have to run after the insurance company, have to make calls…we don't need this."

The hardware store right next door was also hit. Both businesses have temporary plywood doors as they wait for repairs to be carried out.

Bédard said Montreal police (SPVM) told her when they came to take a report that there's been a rash of similar burglaries in NDG recently, about 30, they estimated.

Among them, are an Italian food store on Somerled Avenue, a café and bakery on Sherbrooke Street West and two hair salons and a nail salon, also on Sherbrooke.

The SPVM would not confirm how many businesses were targets at the time but said they were investigating. "There is indeed an increase in thefts in this area, a situation we take very seriously," a media spokesperson wrote in an email to CTV News.

On Dec. 9, the co-owner of Joe et Charlie hair salon got the dreaded call from his alarm company that somebody had broken into the business at 5:07 a.m.

The surveillance camera footage revealed the robber's modus operandi but few clues to his identity because his face is not visible.

"You can clearly see that the guy is looking through the window he sees our cash register on the counter. He throws a brick through the window and he comes in and grabs the cash register and runs. He's very quick, in and out in less than ten seconds," said Joseph Mathieu.

Joseph Mathieu has security footage of a thief throwing a brick through his salon's window, on Dec. 9, 2022 at 5a.m. (Photo provided of salon, seen here before incident.)

He made off with about $300. "Thank goodness no one was hurt and he didn't ransack the salon," Mathieu said.

Just a couple of days earlier, Coiffure Addict, a few doors away, was broken into in the same fashion. Owner Deniz Torkani said he didn't lose any money but has since installed bars on his windows.

"It's just a headache…cleaning up, dealing with the insurance, just a nuisance for no reason," he said.

Both salon owners also remarked that they're still trying to make up for all they lost during the pandemic lockdowns.

Mathieu's main concern was that he wanted other merchants in the area to be aware of the spate of burglaries and to take precautions.

CTV confirmed that even a nearby veterinarian, Animal Health Clinic, was robbed.

Police began investigating and monitoring the neighbourhood along with "Neighborhood Station 9 (NSP9) to apprehend the perpetrator(s) of these crimes," they said.