SALISBURY — Thieves struck the Hilton Senior Center this week, smashing in a door and taking expensive equipment used in the Council on Aging's programs.

Salisbury Council on Aging director Liz Pettis said the break-in occurred sometime between 5:15 p.m. Tuesday afternoon when she locked up for the day, and 7:30 the next morning, when the custodian arrived and realized the Hilton Center had been robbed. Stolen was a 4-year-old, 47-inch flat-screen television and Wii entertainment system, along with video programs for the system.

Both the TV and the Wii system were not in plain sight, Pettis said. They are stored behind closed doors in a large cabinet at the back of the center's main room.

"I think considering what was stolen and where it was, that the people responsible were familiar with the Hilton Center and knew what they were after," Pettis said, an opinion shared by Salisbury police Chief David L'Esperance. Pettis said the Council on Aging has already had to cancel some programs because of the robbery. The television is often in use with the Wii system to help seniors warm up for exercise programs, she said. And the center had to cancel its weekly Wednesday movie night program because the television is gone.

With the town's operating budget already under stress, Pettis is worried about finding the money needed to replace the stolen equipment and repair the physical damage. She thinks it could cost more than $1,000 to replace the equipment stolen alone.

Pettis said thieves gained entry by smashing in the windows of a back door of the Hilton Center that gives entry into the kitchen. The door of the Lafayette Road center is away from the Salisbury Fire Station, closer to the Public Works building.

"But everyone at public works would have been gone for the day when the break-in happened," Pettis said.

Department of Public Works director Don Levesque said the door and its framing were badly damaged during the break-in. He estimated the cost of replacing both at about $1,000. An all-steel door was used to replace the damaged one, and currently the building is secure, he said.

Given the size of the things stolen, Pettis thinks the thieves may have used a vehicle to get away with the items. Pettis also thinks that based on what was stolen and what was left behind, the thieves may have been young.

Along with serving the needs of the town's senior citizens, offering programs Monday through Thursday until 2 p.m., the Hilton Senior Center allows outside groups to use the hall for meetings and functions, she said.

L'Esperance said Detective Mark Thomas is in charge of the investigation, and those with information should call the Police Department at 978-465-3121.

Although police already patrol town buildings regularly, he said the department will step up patrols in the area.