Florida suspect arrested for allegedly stealing lobsters from Miami restaurant

Florida police arrested a suspect who allegedly stole at least $1,000 worth of lobster from a Miami eatery last month.

Joseph Paul Putzulu, 55, was charged with two felony counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count of third-degree grand theft. He was arrested by officers on Saturday.

Putzulu was out of felony bond when he was taken into custody, according to online records. He was previously charged with trespassing and possession of cocaine.

The investigation began when the Miami Police Department responded to a call from a business owner on July 26. The proprietor noticed that his restaurant’s food freezer was open, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital.

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Suspect Joseph Paul Putzulu was charged with two felony counts of burglary of an unoccupied structure and one count of third-degree grand theft. (Miami-Dade County Corrections and Rehabilitation)

The business owner reviewed video surveillance and saw that the suspect was the same man who stole several packs of lobsters from the restaurant on July 23.

Surveillance video from the July 23 allegedly shows Putzulu loading the lobster packs into a garbage bin. He then threw the garbage bin and a hand truck over the fence and fled.

The suspect was seen throwing food in the July 26 video footage as well. The owner said that the stolen lobsters were worth over $1,000. 

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The Miami Police Department responded to a call from the restaurant’s owner on July 26. (Google Maps)

“The defendant is seen throwing what appears to be packs of food over the rear gated fence,” the arrest affidavit read. “At approximately 2:51 a.m., the suspect is seen using a black cart to assist him to climb back over the gated fence to leave. The defendant is then seen loading the packets of food into the red shopping cart and leaving the area.”

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Putzulu was booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center after his interview with detectives.