Police believe business burglary was carried out by professionals

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — Investigators believe a burglary at a strip mall store over the weekend was carried out by professionals.

Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, police say someone entered T.J. Maxx, 6995 S. 1300 East, by going through the roof, then disabled the alarm, cut through a wall to reach a safe, somehow managed to open the safe and took an undisclosed amount of money.

"They seemed to have a pretty good knowledge of what they were doing," said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Gary Young.

No alarms were tripped and the burglar, or burglars, were not captured by surveillance video. The burglars also seemed to know exactly where they were going, Young said.

Detectives say it's likely more than one person participated in the well-executed crime. Young said the group gained access to a common area shared by several business of the strip mall by finding an opening on the roof or cutting through it. They then used a power tool, possibly a hand-held cordless saw, to cut through a wall right to where the safe was located inside TJ Maxx, he said.

Young said Monday he was unsure if the burglars drilled through the safe or used another tool, such as a hammer, to open it.

Anyone with information on the burglary is asked to call police at 801-944-7100.

— Pat Reavy Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam