Business owner decries 'get out while you can' mentality in Philadelphia after his store was looted

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Philly business owner says there's a 'get out while you can' mentality in the city after store is looted

Philadelphia business owner Jay Pross decried a "get out while you can" mentality in the city after his store was looted on Tuesday.

Business owner Jay Pross, the owner of a store that was looted on Wednesday in Philadelphia, spoke out about a "get out while you can" attitude in the city following the mass looting.

CNN's Abby Phillip asked Pross about the rise in retail theft in the city and if he was concerned about the crime surge. 

"Absolutely. I started this business in mom’s basement. I grew up 10 blocks away from where my store is, I have been here 13 years. And since this situation has happened, a lot of people say ‘You know what Jay, it is time for you to get out of this city.’ That hurts me because I love it here, I love the people here. There are so many good people in Philadelphia. There is only a couple bad apples that ruin it. But I think that there is a mentality in Philadelphia to get out while you can," he said. 

At least 52 people were arrested after mobs of people looted retail stores in Philadelphia, police said. 

Philly business owner Jay Pross joined CNN's Abby Phillip to discuss his store that had been looted on Wednesday.  (Screenshot/CNN)

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Pross told CNN that he got a phone call at 12:45 saying that the windows of his business were broken and people were seen running in and out of the store with merchandise. 

He also said he has received a lot of support since the store was looted and expressed confidence that they would bounce back.

"I would never let a situation like this put me in a negative situation or mindset. I have had this business for 13 years. I am deeply rooted in Philadelphia. Since last night, I have got hundreds of phone calls and messages. I have the city's support, everybody is going to help me and waiting for me to make a move so they can support it," he said. 

Phillip asked if he had any sense of how much money he lost. 

Philadelphia Police sit outside the Lululemon store on Wednesday morning, Sept. 27, 2023, in Philadelphia. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

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Pross said it was a "significant amount."

Phillip also asked him who was responsibile for the mobs of looters.

"I don’t think you could blame one person or one entity. I think there is a lot of blindness to ignorance in the city right now. I think there are a lot of people who don’t understand their ignorance right now. I think a lot of it is also follow the leader. For a dozen people to run in and out of my store, I am a small business, and I have nothing to do with what happened with the officer and Eddie Irizarry. I just think it is one person taking the lead and a bunch of others following," he said. 

The looting came after a Philadelphia judge dismissed charges against former police officer Mark Dial in the shooting death of 27-year-old Eddie Irizarry. 

Debris and damage sit outside SunRay Drugs Wednesday morning, Sept. 27, 2023, in Philadelphia, after it was looted Tuesday night. (Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)

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