SEATTLE — Seattle Police (SPD) are looking to crack the case of who stole several hundred eggs from the Luna Park Cafe on Feb. 5.
According to SPD, just before 5 a.m. on Wednesday, two men entered a refrigerated shed at the restaurant and stole boxes containing an estimated 540 eggs, which were worth about $387. The thieves also stole bacon, ground beef, blueberries, and liquid egg products.
In total, about $780 worth of food was stolen from Luna Park.
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“They knew what they were after,” said owner Heong Park, who told KIRO 7 the thieves did not touch the alcohol that was also inside the fridge.
The theft comes as egg prices skyrocket across Washington state and the country, mostly due to an avian flu outbreak. Over 140 million chickens, turkeys and other birds have been slaughtered since this latest outbreak first began.
“Eggs are not cheap right now,” Park said. “The biggest challenge is it’s not just the price, but also it’s really hard to get. Sometimes you order it and they’ll never show up.”
The average price per dozen nationwide hit $4.15 in December. That’s not quite as high as the $4.82 record set two years ago, but the Agriculture Department predicts prices are going to soar another 20% this year.
One Washington mom told KIRO 7 that she usually spends around $14 for five dozen eggs, but ended up paying $30 recently.
KIRO 7 asked Seattle Police if the department has had conversations about food thefts in light of price increases.
“We’ve seen reports from across the country that you know this is happening in recent time,” said Detective Brian Pritchard. “We just want people to be diligent and know that maybe, possibility this might happen more frequently.”
If you have any information on the theft, call the SPD Tip Line at (206) 233-5000 and reference 2025-33137.