Grateful Mass. liquor store owner in disbelief after patrons rush to clean up vandalized shop: ‘It was bottles up to your ankles’

A longtime Massachusetts liquor store owner is feeling more grateful than ever as 2024 comes to a close despite vandals breaking into his shop overnight Sunday and destroying about $250,000 worth of booze.  

McAloon’s Liquors was targeted in a ruthless break-in, leaving a trail of broken bottles and spilled alcohol across the North Andover store’s aisles leading up to the business’ biggest night of the year – New Year’s Eve.

“Someone in their brilliant mind decided to come in last night and trash the store for what reason I don’t know,” owner Bill Buco said in an Instagram video as he showed hundreds of smashed bottles covering the floor.

Buco, who has run the store for 48 years, told NBC 10 Boston that roughly a quarter of a million dollars worth of inventory was ruined. His son told 7 News Boston, “It was bottles up to your ankles.”

But surrounding community members quickly rallied to help out by getting on their hands and knees.

“When I saw it, I said, ‘I’ve got to hire a professional company to come in and do this.’ Next thing I know, 50 people are here shoveling stuff, cleaning stuff,” Buco told NBC10.

“The love in this town is incredible and the people who live here — I hope they appreciate that.”

One loyal patron, Mark DiSalvo, told 7 News McAloon’s is a “real iconic place in town and the obligation is to just sit and help.”

Store employee Joan Carney said the group clean-up effort shows how deeply people in the New England town care about each other.

“I’m just shocked at the people who showed up with brooms and gloves and, ‘Here let me take out your trash … and pick up this wine.’ It’s just amazing,” Carney told the station.

Footage from 7 News showed the store was nearly spotless hours after the destructive crime was discovered by cops around 1:30 a.m.

Buco, in a follow-up video posted on Instagram, said “his phone has been ringing off the hook” with people looking to help.

“As bad as this was, the beauty of what I’m seeing now buries what happened,” he said.