Two hundred and twenty-five dollars were stolen from the cash register of Café ’66 in Reid on Sunday, Nov. 29, the last day of Thanksgiving break, while the building was mostly empty.

Police have identified a man who they plan to contact in connection with the theft, but could not otherwise comment on the ongoing investigation. No arrests have been made.

Although Café ’66 has a live-streaming Web cam, it does not record footage, according to Chief Technology Officer Keiko Pitter.

Prior to the theft, which occurred about 11:40 a.m., Bon Appétit employee Fanny Rays placed money into the register and closed it to help set up for lunch. Shortly afterward, a man dressed in camouflage broke into the machine and took the cash.

Senior Joe Gustav, a Reid building manager, was working at the information desk at the time. He informed security, café Assistant Manager Aaron Davis and the police of the theft.

“There have been thefts in Reid, but not like that,” said Gustav, who has worked in Reid since his first year at Whitman.

Gustav’s backpack was stolen about three weeks ago. The backpack of a fellow building manager, senior Liz Forsyth, was stolen Tuesday, Dec. 1. It contained her laptop, cell phone and keys. In both instances, the items had been left unsupervised behind the Reid information desk while the managers attended to tasks elsewhere in the building.

This reporter witnessed the Bon Appétit register theft, after spotting the perpetrator watching football in the Reid basement. The man came to the café in time to see the money put in the register and asked Rays when they would be opening.

“I thought I’d seen him before,” Rays told police in reference to the suspect.

Gustav said that security can be challenging in Reid because it is a public building.

“It’s hard because this is a community building, so there are a lot of non-students. It’s just up to everyone to keep track of their stuff,” he said.