Surveillance video released Wednesday shows a thief who smashed his way into five businesses along a 3-mile stretch of High Ridge Road.

Police say the burglaries happened in the early morning hours on Nov. 22. They say in each case, the suspect was in and out quickly and that it took less than one hour to rob all five places.

Police describe the suspect in the video as a white male in his 20s with short, cropped hair. They say he was wearing a plaid coat, red scarf, blue jeans, sneakers, a baseball cap and a large black watch. Officials say the suspect had a distinct pattern for the robberies.

"A rock was used to break a pane on a door," Stamford Police Sgt. Sean Scanlan says. "Then, entry is made by going through the door panel, going right to the register, throwing the register on the ground, breaking it open and taking any petty cash that was in the cash register."

Stamford police are asking anyone with information to contact them.