BOSTON -- Thieves who stole a 500-pound safe from a Lawrence thrift store during the weekend may be responsible for a number of break-ins in the area, according to the Eagle Tribune.

The safe that was stolen on Saturday from the St. Vincent DePaul thrift store on Franklin Street had about $1,500 inside, the newspaper reported. A store clerk discovered that the safe and a laptop were missing after the worker arrived at the store at about 8:40 a.m.

Police said that the people responsible for the theft may be linked to break-ins in several Haverhill and Methuen businesses.

In one break-in, the thieves cut a hole in the roof of Kentucky Fried Chicken in Methuen and stole money from a safe inside the building.