Sergeant Pepperoni’s banner was stolen by a University of Connecticut student last Friday (Jon Sammis/The Daily Campus)
A University of Connecticut student was arrested for stealing a banner from Sgt. Pepperoni’s restaurant last Friday.
Thomas P. Majchrzak, 21, of Ansonia, Connecticut was arrested for sixth-degree larceny at 11:47 p.m. UCPD said.
UCPD said they received a complaint from the restaurant that a male had run into the store and stolen a banner valued at $40.
Jon Simonin, a Sgt. Pepperoni’s employee, who is listed as the complainant for the issue according to UCPD, said he arrived back to Sgt. Pep’s after making a delivery and saw his coworkers chasing Majchrzak.
“I had no clue what they were chasing him for so I hesitated for a second and thought ‘I’m sure they got it.’ But for some reason, I got out of my car….and started sprinting towards them,” Simonin said.
Simonin said he chased Majchrzak through a forested path and passed both his coworkers until Majchrzak stopped running near the transportation building after having dropped the stolen banner.
“I talk(ed) to the guy and (told) him ‘alright we’re going back to Peps and calling the cops’,” Simonin said. “As we’re halfway back to Peps, he bolt(ed) (in) the opposite direction and (went) down a hill.”
Simonin’s coworkers called the police while Simonin chased Majchrzak again and tackled him and held Majchrzak by the water towers on Ledoyt Road until the police arrived and arrested Majchrzak, Simonin said.
Simonin said Majchrzak told him he had stolen the banner because he was drunk and his frat brothers had dared him to.
“His brothers dared him to ‘get respect’ from the siblings,” Simonin said. “But clearly it didn’t work.”
Simonin said he had left his car in the middle of the parking lot before the chase started and returned to find it parked.
“It turns out nobody from Peps parked it for me, but a stranger did, and nothing was stolen—which I was pretty happy about,” Simonin said.
Majchrzak’s bond was set at $500 and his court date is Nov. 1.
Anna Zarra Aldrich is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at anna.aldrich@uconn.edu. She tweets @ZarraAnna.