Burglar is caught by brasserie owner and falls several meters high: “His companion left him lying there for minutes” (Maasmechelen)

A well-known brasserie in Maasmechelen had two burglars visit it on Sunday night. One of the men was chased away by the owner and fell several meters down. The fall was caught on camera. “The man was here for more than ten minutes. His companion had to support him.”

“A hurricane, a shadow and suddenly two lights.” This is how the manager of the brasserie on the Rijksweg in Maasmechelen describes his unwanted encounter with two burglars just before midnight on Sunday. Camera images show how two masked men with a ladder at the back of the building first climb over a wall and then place the ladder against the rear facade.

“One person gained access to my bedroom through a window with a crowbar. I immediately started screaming and the burglar fled. But he tripped over a tile, fell seven meters and landed on the paving stones. His mobile phone also fell. He tried to cling to the railing of the terrace, but failed.”

“His companion left him there for several minutes and first went to put the ladder away in the field behind.” The owner of the brasserie had meanwhile closed the upstairs door and gone to the ground floor to notify the Lanaken-Maasmechelen police. He arrived quickly, but by then the duo had already disappeared into the field behind them towards Heirstraat. “They are probably people from around here, because I heard them in the dialect ‘are you already in?’ (‘are you in yet?’) calling to each other.”

Blood

There was a pool of blood on the entrance and the images show that the man who fell had lost his bearings for a moment. “He was wandering in all directions and could barely stand on his legs. His companion had to support him. According to the camera images, he was here for more than ten minutes.”

The police were unable to catch the burglars for the time being. “You will experience the fright of your life, I can tell you that,” says the owner. “I’ve been here for forty years and have never had anything for it. And now this. Just like in a horror movie. My grandson will sleep here in the coming days, but the burglars will probably not come back.”