CHICAGO, IL (WGN) — The owners of a Chicago bakery are picking up the pieces on Friday after a hard fall foiled a clumsy criminal’s burglary attempt.
Jessica Klein, who is one of the co-owners of Klein’s Bakery & Café in the Buena Park neighborhood, spent her day cleaning up pieces of drywall and other debris after a burglar tried to break into the business through the ceiling.
A surveillance camera, which caught the break-in attempt on video, shows the moment the would-be burglar’s legs broke through the ceiling, before their dreams of easy money (and the rest of their body) came crashing down on a table of baked goods. They are then seen fleeing from the business.
“It’s not like we have to lock the door more or the windows. No, he is coming through the ceiling, So he is breaking through the drywall,” Klein said.
Lucky for Klein, however, the criminal’s unskilled attempt likely left them with bruises but no cash.
The bakery, which specializes in Venezuelan baked goods, is in the same building as an apartment complex, and Klein said she suspects the graceless criminal lives in the building.
“They believe he came through the first floor because they found an opening in one of the walls,” Klein said.
Klein said that she also believes the person who came crashing through her ceiling is the same one who broke into the business last month when they had their windows broken and cash registers stolen.
“We believe, we have our suspicion, he’s the same guy. We cannot guarantee or be 100% sure, because he covered his face on the video, but he has the same body shape and specific features,” Klein said.
Alison Babbit, who owns Curious Creatures LLC just a few doors down, said she thinks the suspect is the same person who burglarized her store earlier in April.
“The burglar took a large rock and shattered our front door, walked straight into the gate, over here behind our counter, and then he grabbed our register, and then instead of what you think a normal person would do, like walking out the front door again, they actually walked into our back room looking for a very specific door leading into the apartment above us,” Babbit said.
Both business owners say they have been in contact with building management.
An investigation into the burglaries continues and authorities say no arrests have been made.
