Man Who Breaks Into Restaurant To Feed Himself For 4 Days Amid Lockdown Arrested

A burglar has been arrested after he was found to have broken into a closed restaurant and helped himself to food and drinks for four days.

Louis Angel Ortiz, 42, was arrested early Tuesday after the police responded to reports of a burglary at Soul de Cuba Café, New Haven, Connecticut. The manager who said that the restaurant had been shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, found Ortiz sleeping inside the restaurant with a bottle of rum.

Police viewed the security video footage and concluded Ortiz broke into the restaurant on Saturday through a side window of the restaurant. He then helped himself over the course of four days to the restaurant’s food, liquor, and beer, in addition to which he also removed beverages and property from the building.

“Officers learned Ortiz helped himself over the course of four days to the restaurant’s food, liquor and beer,” police said in a statement Wednesday.
 

“In addition to eating and drinking at the restaurant, Ortiz removed beverages and property from the building,” officials added.

Ortiz was taken into custody after a manager stopped by the closed restaurant and saw someone sleeping inside with a bottle of rum, police said.

Officers arrested Ortiz, who was also caught on the restaurant’s surveillance video, nearby, police said.

The restaurant management estimated the loss of food and beverages at several thousand dollars, including an estimated 70 bottles of stolen or consumed liquor.

Ortiz was charged with burglary, larceny and criminal mischief in connection with the alleged incident. He was also charged with failure to appear in court on an unrelated case, police said.

Louis Angel Ortiz, who was arraigned Wednesday, is due back in court on May 27, the Courant reports. He remained in custody Friday at the New Haven Correctional Center in lieu of $10,500 bail, record show.