Montgomery County pharmacy burglarized for second time; police make arrests

SCHWENKSVILLE, Pa. - Two people were charged in connection to a burglary, according to Pennsylvania State Police, at a well-known community pharmacy in Montgomery County. 

The pharmacy was forced to close for the day.

What we know:

Police say around 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning, they were notified of a burglary in progress at Skippack Pharmacy, which is less than a mile away from the Skippack barracks.

"I get an alarm notification on my phone, take a look, and I don’t just see an empty store, there was people inside," says Mayank Amin, known as "Dr. Mak," the owner of Skippack Pharmacy. "The security system actually activates and contacts the police right away."

Police say when troopers arrived, they saw a vehicle with its lights on in an adjacent parking lot. 

According to court documents, Benjamin Nadler, of Princeton, NJ, was standing by the vehicle, and was taken into custody. 

Fernando Azcona, of South Brunswick, NJ, police say, was seen running from the pharmacy towards 113. 

A trooper followed him and took him into custody.

Documents say troopers found prescriptions on both men and in the car, along with a bag of tools.

 Police say Nadler and Azcona were charged with burglary and other related offenses.

What they're saying:

Amin says while pharmacies are often targeted for controlled medications, they usually have an extremely small amount in the store. 

Ironically, he says they are one of the largest providers of free Narcan in Pennsylvania. 

"If somebody comes in here to burglarize, they’re going to walk away with a lot of vitamins, blood pressure medications, and diabetic medications," he says.

The business had to close for repairs on Tuesday, including the installation of a shatterproof door. When Amin showed up, he says a community volunteer was already helping to clean-up.

A customer, Matteo, tells FOX 29 his history with the pharmacy dates back to 1972, when his father moved to the area.

"It’s a very special place," he says. "This pharmacy was always open, my father used to bring me here, we used to come here for everything, so it’s a historical moment for me."

Inside the pharmacy, Amin continues to display the vials from when the business distributed 100,000 vaccines during the pandemic, along with "thank you" notes from the community.

He says it’s the second time they have been hit in about six months.

"If a pharmacy gets burglarized enough the insurance company can drop the contact they have with that pharmacy," he says. "That’s always been our goal to serve the community, and that’s what we hope to continue to do, even after incidents like this, they just make us stronger."