Burglar Becomes Internet Star

A burglar who knocked off Caseus on Whitney Avenue and The Blossom Shop on Orange Street became an overnight Internet star — without even trying.

Employees from both businesses posted snapshots of the burglar from their surveillance tapes on Facebook. The man in the tape burglarizing The Blossom Shop looks similar to the man who smashed a hammer into the glass door at Caseus and stole the cash drawer.

As his photo rocketed around the web, people sent in information about him. Cops are now looking for him.

Tom Sobocinski co-owns Caseus, a fromagerie and bistro, with his brother Jason. Sobocinski said the alarm system at Caseus is rigged to send him a notification via cellphone whenever it goes off. He got that notification at around 9:05 p.m. Monday night.

“I got here in like four minutes, and the cops got here in like five,” he said. ​“But he was already gone.”

Sobocinski called it a minor setback; the burglar got away with only Tuesday’s start-up cash. But this is the third time Caseus has been robbed in four years and this time, the brothers didn’t want to keep the incident quiet. Sobocinski posted the snapshot from the surveillance tape on Facebook.

“If this guy has the balls to come to the door with a hammer, then I’m going to broadcast it,” he said.

Over 100 people either liked or commented on the photo within the first 24 hours.

“We have a very close relationship with our customers,” Sobocinski said.

Some of the comments the Facebook picture include:

• ​“I like your style, Caseus.”

• ​“Hoping social media brings the malefactor down!”

• ​“Cheesehead who needed a fix?”

Sobocinski wrote over the picture:

“Here he is, hammer in hand! He is banned from Caseus from now on — no more soup for him!”

Sobocinski said he hopes social media will prevent other local shops from going through the same problem.

“As for Facebook, I hope we can use it to identify and stop this guy,” he said. ​“If he’s hit a few local shops in the area so far, then he’s not going to stop.”

Caseus already had a brand new glass door by Tuesday afternoon. Sobocinski said New Haven and Yale police recognized the man in the surveillance tape and are tracking him down.

“This has really been more of an annoyance than anything else,” he said. ​“It was really just important to get the door fixed and to serve lunch today.”

A woman at the Blossom Shop on Orange Street got a similar response — immediately — when she posted the burglar’s mug from a surveillance photo on Facebook.

The burglary took place last week while the shop was closed, according to police spokesman Officer David Hartman. The burglar made off with the cash register.

Some people seeing the posting sent in helpful details about the man, according to top downtown cop Lt. Rebecca Sweeney. She said her officers are on the case.