BOSTON, MA — A 59-year-old man has been arrested in connection with a series of commercial break-ins along Charles Street in the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
Officers assigned to District A-1 responded to four commercial break-ins reported between Revere Street and Mt. Vernon Street during an 18-minute window in the early morning hours of May 20, 2026.
The targeted businesses were located at 63 Charles Street, 75 Charles Street, 105 Charles Street, and 109 Charles Street.
Officers responding to commercial alarm activations found broken window panes consistent with forced entry at each location.
At one location, officers discovered a brick inside the store.
A K-9 unit conducted sweeps of all locations with negative results.
Security camera footage from one business showed the suspect using his hand to punch through a window pane, reach inside to manipulate the deadbolt, and open the door before proceeding directly to the cash register and removing its contents.
Detectives identified the suspect and corroborated his presence in the area around the time of the incidents.
Investigators also identified a prior pattern of similar commercial break-ins along the same stretch of Charles Street.
On May 23, 2026, at approximately 2:07 p.m., officers located James Schaff, 59, of Boston, in Dewey Square at the intersection of Summer Street and Atlantic Avenue.
Officers placed Schaff under arrest without incident and transported him to Nashua Street Jail.
Schaff was charged with breaking and entering a building in the nighttime for the purpose of committing a felony, larceny from a building, and being a common and notorious thief.
Schaff was arraigned at Boston Municipal Court.
