A Sussex County e-commerce shop is reeling after thieves broke into a leased space and made off with more than $100,000 in stolen items.
Liz Sonnenberg, the owner of
LizSonnenBags, called it her worst nightmare. She was startled awake just before 2 a.m. Thursday by a Ring notification telling her that people had entered her business.
Ring video shows three people enter the Sussex County building, which Sonnenberg was leasing for inventory, and make off with more than 50 designer handbags, belts and accessories.
Sonnenberg says it’s nearly a $120,000 value. Many of the items were limited edition and some of her most valuable, including Louis Vuiton and Chanel.
But it’s more than the dollar value. Sonnenberg says this business is like her child.
“My entire adult life, I’ve been building this business,” Sonnenberg said. “It’s just absolutely devastating the fact that it happened the week before Black Friday.”
She took great lengths to keep their inventory’s location private after hearing about security threats and robberies at similar stores.
How the thieves knew where to go and what to take is unclear. The showroom only had one in-person event in August.
“I never posted our address online,” Sonnenberg said. “It was really just family, friends and customers, and it wasn’t many customers [at the single event] because we sell nationwide.”
Sonnenberg is asking anyone who may be buying these kinds of items on Facebook Marketplace, eBay or Poshmark to check the serial numbers. She’s posted some on her
@LizSonnenBags Instagram page, and more will go up soon.
News 12 has reached out to New Jersey State Police for more information.