JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- A Mandarin pharmacy was recently struck by a thief who made off with a small fortune in prescription narcotics after hiding in the business while police scoured the crime scene.

The pharmacy manager of Rxpert Pharmacy, Dave Rosenberg, said he has heard a lot about break-ins with burglars going after high-priced pills, but he said this is the first time he has heard of a thief waiting around while police investigate the crime.

He said the man got away with about $10,000 worth of narcotics.

Surveillance video from the pharmacy shows the thief with his face covered and wearing a baseball cap as he struggled to climb out a window with a bag full of pill bottles, holding drugs like Loritab, Vicodon, Xanax and Diazepam.

Rosenberg said his pharmacy on Sunbeam Road has been robbed before, but it's how the most recent crook got in that has him scratching his head.

"Next door's office is empty. The suite is empty. They came through the vents there and crawled through the crawl space," Rosenberg said.

Police said once the suspect was in the ceiling, he disconnected the alarm and cameras before ransacking the pharmacy.

"Up here. They were taking all the drugs that were on the top shelf," Rosenberg said.

He said when the police came to check things out, they saw no sign of the thief. They had no idea he was hiding right above their heads.

The surveillance video that recorded the thief climbing out of a window was recorded after Jacksonville police had been to the pharmacy to investigate.

Rosenberg said the man hid in a crawl space for more than two hours, waiting for police to leave so he could make his get away.

"They're trying to find these guys because they've held up other places. It's a pattern that's going on," Rosenberg said.

He said while the crime isn't slowing him down, he is taking steps to prevent future robberies by getting more surveillance cameras and having police stop by the pharmacy more often.

Police said because the burglary happened at about 3 a.m. they're having trouble finding witnesses to the crime.

Anyone with information about the pharmacy burglary is asked to call Crimestoppers at 866- 845- TIPS.