MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV)—Murfreesboro Police officers are searching for a man who was captured on video breaking into a bowling alley.

Police said the suspect cut a hole in the ceiling and jumped down a rope to enter the business. Loyal customers of the bowling alley said they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

The theft took place at the Lanes Trains and Automobiles Entertainment Center and the Bowling Alley on Butler Drive. Customers said they were not only shocked by the security camera footage, but days later they could still see the hole through which hundreds of dollars had been stolen.

Surveillance video showed a man wandering around an empty bowling alley in Murfreesboro. Bowling alley cameras caught him entering the building at 3 a.m., but what shocked customers like Sam Powers was how he got in.

Powers said his jaw dropped when he heard the man cut a hole in the ceiling to get inside.

“Come on, it’s a movie, I’ve seen it in movies,” Powers said.

Murfreesboro Police say the man cut a hole in the ceiling of the bowling alley and then used a rope to climb down.

“I grew up coming here and bowling when I was in middle school,” Powers recounted. “I was on the bowling team and I’ve never heard of anything like this happening here, especially considering how long it’s been here.”

After driving around, the man broke into an ATM and a gaming card loading machine and took $1,500, detectives said.

Two days later, a woman at the bowling alley said she couldn’t believe what happened.

“Hey, what were they thinking to say, ‘I’m going to put a hole in the ceiling,'” he said.

A handful of loyal customers said they were saddened that this would happen to such a great business.

One customer said, “I really hate this because it’s a family business.” he said. “We bring our kids here all the time, so it really broke my heart for the staff I met here as well.”

While detectives try to track down the man caught on video, Powers said he hopes the break-in will lead to some changes in the security of the business.

“I hope they get better security and hopefully they can protect the ATM machine,” Powers said.

Murfreesboro police continue to search for the suspect and believe he is 6 feet tall and weighs approximately 170 lbs. The images show him wearing a green camouflage ski mask, a black jacket and blue jeans.

Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact the Murfreesboro Police Department at 629-201-5638.

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