Art thief caught red-handed at New Buffalo burger restaurant

NEW BUFFALO, Mich. -- The beloved New Buffalo burger restaurant, Redamak’s, caught a man stealing a painting off their restaurant wall last Saturday. Now, they are asking the community to identify him.

The restaurant took to their Facebook page Monday to post about the bold action caught on the security camera. The pictures show a group walking into the restaurant, then one man takes a framed painting off the wall, and the group walks out to their car.

The local New Buffalo community was shocked to see the post, saying the quaint beach town is normally safe enough for stores to leave merchandise sitting outside. Outpost Sports manager, Carolyn Kaminski, explained that might not be something she does anymore.

“It made me think. Definitely about our business and how much product we put out front and how much we have in the store, and how easily it could leave,” said Kaminski.

Other workers at local businesses, like supervisor at Oink’s Dutch Treat, Marcus Gray, explained while some people may not think an item looks valuable, it could have meaning in some other way.

“Say you stole something from back there, Roger Vink, the guy who founded the place spent his whole life collecting things like that and people who are fans of Oinks will come in and donate things. So, sometimes when you’re stealing something that seems insignificant, it can be a really big deal,” said Gray.

The New Buffalo Police Department said this is an ongoing investigation. They said stealing at any level is a crime, and they are actively searching for Redamak’s art thief.