A man in Kinston, North Carolina, is facing legal trouble after allegedly breaking into a Little Caesars and selling pizzas from the restaurant. The suspect, a former employee, is accused of keeping the money from the sales.
According to WITN, the incident took place on Sunday, February 1. The man, identified as 41-year-old Jonathan Hackett, was reportedly a former employee of the Little Caesars on Vernon Avenue. However, his employment status apparently did little to diminish his appetite for “cheese”—in more ways than one.
According to the Kinston Police Department, the North Carolina man had entered the restaurant not once, but twice.
When officers arrived at the scene, they were told that Hackett had allegedly entered the restaurant, prepared several pizzas, and sold them to customers. He is accused of pocketing the proceeds, which, according to WITN, totaled a staggering $50.
During the second alleged break-in, police said the restaurant was occupied. Employees—possibly Hackett’s former coworkers—reportedly stopped him from entering the restaurant and carrying out his pizza-selling scheme. The confrontation escalated into a physical altercation, and Hackett was later treated at a local hospital.
Arrested Over Pizza: Public Reactions
After receiving treatment for his injuries at UNC Lenoir Health Care, the North Carolina man was arrested and booked into the Lenoir County Jail. He faces multiple charges, including felony breaking and/or entering, felony obtaining property by false pretenses, felony larceny after breaking and entering, misdemeanor breaking and entering, and violating the city’s curfew.
Kinston Police Chief Keith Goyette told WITN that the incident was highly unusual. “It was very strange—nothing I had ever heard of,” he said. “In my 26 years in law enforcement here in Kinston, we’ve never seen anything like it. It was a real head-scratcher and a first for us.”
Chief Goyette is not the only one puzzled by the situation. Although the police department limited comments on its Facebook post, many users shared the news, claiming they had purchased pizza from Hackett and expressing relief that justice had been served, one way or another.
“See, Kinston… y’all are a whole different kind of crazy,” one user commented. Another netizen wrote, “He wants to be a Ninja Turtle so badly, doesn’t he?” A third added, “I literally bought a pizza from this clown for $10! I thought Little Caesars was actually open!”
It’s safe to say Hackett won’t be landing a job at the pizza chain anytime soon. If he believes “third time’s the charm,” the employees may once again be forced to deal with him—under anything but peaceful circumstances.
