BENICIA (KRON) — A burglar broke into a Benicia restaurant and got away with money raised to help an employee with a serious medical condition.

Police are asking for the community’s help in finding the thief. The owner of the restaurant showed KRON4’s Haaziq Madyun a key piece of evidence being used in the investigation.

Surveillance video shows the burglar inside the Nine O Seven Grill on First Street in Benicia.

“We are hoping to catch this guy that came in and robbed us Saturday night,” owner Ann Marie Ramos said.

Ann Marie Ramos and her husband Randy own the restaurant.

She says Nine O Seven closed at 10 p.m. that night

“He came in through the back window like he knew exactly where to go,” Ramos said.

The burglar wasted no time, making his way to the cash drawer.

“He got away with cash and also some donations that we were hoping to pass on to an employee of ours that has been out sick for about a month,” Ramo said.

The employee, Josh Rose, is the manager at Nine O Seven.

“He had an onset of organ failure,” Ramos said. “It came very unexpectedly. He is the sole provider of his family, has a little girl and he’s married, and stay-at-home mom, and so we were trying to help him out.”

She describes the man in the video as “kind of a heavy set guy, kango, trench coat.”

And he was wearing some very distinct shoes.

“They looked like white basketball shoes with maybe a black embellishment on the top and the back of the shoes,” Ramos said.

“The video in this case is our key piece of evidence,” Benicia police Lt. Damiean Sylvester said.

Benicia police don’t believe they have seen this man before.

“That is why we are reaching out to media right now in hopes of having somebody out there that recognizes him that can help us solve this case,” Sylvester said.

And Ramos is hoping the thief returns the donations raised to help Rose get back on his feet.

“We are hoping to be able to recover the funds that our customers have donated for Josh to recover,” Ramos said.

If you think you recognize the man in the video, you are asked to contact Benicia police.