Thieves target historic Palace Theatre

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) - It's the type of crime caper that could play out on the big screen at the Palace Theatre, but now the historic Lockport cinema is dealing with a real-life crime.

The theater runs on volunteers and community donations. The last thing they needed is a $15,000 bill because thieves saw an opportunity to make some money. But sadly, that's exactly what happened.

On Saturday, four air conditioner condensers that were torn apart and stripped down for the copper. The crime was discovered the following day. The units, paid for with a grant, cost the theater between $10,000 and $15,000.

They're located in alley with no security cameras and that for five years they never had a problem. But this weekend, the historic Palace Theatre built in in 1925, was definitely on the radar of thieves looking to make a fast buck.

The theatre's executive director, Christopher Parada, said, "I did the research. Copper is about $3-something a pound right now. So this is probably $15,000 worth of damages for maybe a couple of hundred bucks worth of product. In any case, the people that do this kind of work don't care about who they're affecting. The only way the business stays open is with volunteers and community donations. So, something like this is a big blow to us."

The theatre is in the process of getting a security system for the outside of the building - like motion lights and cameras. In the meantime, they're working with their insurance company to see what can be done to replace the damaged units.