MAN BREAKS INTO MIDWAY MALL

TMC NEWS PHOTOS / BRIAN WOODS

Elyria – Police were called to the Elyria Midway Mall early Thursday morning after a 20 year old Elyria man broke in and went on a vandalism spree.

Police say Josh Nowicki, a former Mall Security Officer, entered the Mall through the roof and began breaking into stores and vandalizing various areas of the Mall.

When the first Officer arrived he noticed that the Fire Department was also on the Mall property. The Police Dispatcher advised that Fire had been dispatched for a fire alarm that turned out to be a false alarm. They also advised that Mall Security was chasing a subject in the C dock area. The Officer approached the C Dock he noticed a white male, later identified as Joshua Nowicki of Elyria, throw a stone cigarette container at a plate glass window.

The Officer rode up the sidewalk and stopped short of Nowicki. Once the Officer shined a spotlight on Nowicki he ducked down behind a garbage can. When the Officer yelled to stop, Nowicki rose up from behind the garbage can and threw a long metal pipe at the Officer. The pipe struck the Officer’s cruiser, bounced and then struck the windshield. Nowicki then ran south near Dillards.

Additional Officers began to arrive along with a Lorain County Sheriff’s Deputy and an Elyria K9 unit. As the additional Officers started to get out of their cruisers Nowicki came out from behind the bushes and started to run north along the east side of
Dillards.

Nowicki was eventually captured on the north side of the Mall by Elyria Police K9 Stuka.

Police had LifeCare Paramedics respond to the scene to evaluate injuries to Nowicki but he refused any treatment or transport.

Witnesses told Police that they saw Nowicki climb onto the Mall roof around 2:45 a.m. A witness and a Mall Security guard checked the area and spotted Nowicki on the roof and then several minutes later spotted him in the area of the Security Office wearing a black security jacket.

The Security guard and witness noticed that the Security office had been vandalized along with several other businesses in the mall.

Police took photographs of damage that Nowicki caused to The Added Touch, the Professional Consultant and several other hallway areas that are under construction. Officers found the mall security office to be in disarray to where items (computers, books, papers, etc.) were thrown all over the floor area. Officers found a mall security coat in the construction hallway area by C dock. Officers also observed several holes in the dry wall.

Joshua J. Nowicki was arrested for 2 Counts of Breaking and Entering F-5, Assault on Police Officer F-4, Vandalism F-5, Vandalism F-5, Resisting Arrest M-2 and Underage Consumption M-1.


PHOTO GALLERY