Man breaks into Little Caesars, starts making and selling pizzas, NC police say
A North Carolina man is facing multiple felony charges after he broke into a Little Caesars after closing time and started making and selling pizzas, according to police.
It happened Sunday, the day after a massive snow storm hit the state, and the suspect kept all the money for himself, the Kinston Police Department said in a Feb. 2 news release.
An arrest was made after the suspect tried to break into the shop a second time, police said.
“The Kinston Police Department ... responded to Little Caesars in reference to a breaking and entering. Upon arrival, officers were advised that 41-year-old Jonathon Hackett, a former employee, had unlawfully entered the business on two separate occasions,” police said.
“During the first incident, Hackett entered the business, prepared pizzas, sold them to customers, and kept the proceeds for himself. During the second incident, Hackett again broke into the business while it was occupied by employees. Employees attempted to prevent Hackett from entering, which resulted in a physical altercation.”
Hackett was injured during the brawl and taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. He was arrested after being released, officials said.
He has been charged with:
- Felony breaking and/or entering
- Felony obtaining property by false pretenses
- Felony larceny after breaking and entering
- Misdemeanor breaking and entering
- Violating city curfew
Investigators did not report how many pizzas the suspect made and sold to unaware customers.
Little Caesars is a national chain of pizza shops with locations in all 50 states.
Kinston is about an 80-mile drive southeast from downtown Raleigh. The community got as much as 14 inches of snow on Saturday, the National Weather Service says.
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 5:41 AM with the headline "Man breaks into Little Caesars, starts making and selling pizzas, NC police say."