Richard Mirabile was arrested and charged with stealing the automatic flushing devices off of toilets in eight fast food restaurants in Queens over the weekend.
Managers at the restaurants told the New York Post that the suspect would walk into the restaurants with a black duffel bag full of tools and lock himself in a stall until he could take the automatic flushing devices off the toilet. Once the machine was removed he stuffed it in his duffel and made his way out of the restaurant.
The bathroom bandit was finally stopped when Lolita Javier, a Wendy's manager had to yell at the thief because he was in a stall for over an hour. "I told him, ‘Hey get out of the bathroom, because a lot of people want to use the bathroom and you've been in there for over an hour." Javier added that the suspect answered back "I'm not stealing anything; I'm just using the bathroom."
Police officials say the crooks' plumbing plunderings began in late November and ended with his December 28th arrest.
Mirabile's record shows he has been arrested 13 times.
Photo Credit: Getty Images