New Haven police have arrested a man who is accused of breaking into a closed restaurant and staying there for days while he ate food and drank the restaurant's alcohol.
Officers were called to a restaurant on Crown Street on Tuesday around 11:30 a.m. after getting a report of a burglary in progress. Police said the caller reported finding a man, later identified as 42-year-old Louis Angel Ortiz, asleep in the closed restaurant.
When police arrived, they said they found Ortiz nearby on Crown Street and detained him. He was found in possession of a bottle of rum from the restaurant, authorities added.
Investigators reviewed security video, which showed Ortiz entering the restaurant on Saturday through a side window, police said.
According to investigators, Ortiz helped himself to the restaurant's food, liquor and beer over the course of four days. He also removed beverages and property from the restaurant.
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The restaurant had been closed and the manager's routine check of the building led to the discovery of Ortiz, officers said.
Managers estimate the loss of the food and beverages is several thousand dollars. The loss includes approximately 70 bottles of stolen or consumed liquor.
Ortiz is facing charges including burglary, larceny and criminal mischief. He is also facing a failure to appear charge for a warrant out of East haven.
He was held in lieu of $12,500 bail at the New Haven Police Department Union Avenue Detention Center and was transferred to an arraignment in New Haven on Wednesday.
