Short, Sweet Trail Leads to Stolen Truck

A trail of pies and doughnuts led police Saturday to a bakery truck that had been stolen in Northridge while the driver was away from the vehicle making a delivery.

“It looked like Hansel and Gretel except for bigger pieces,” Police Sgt. Paul Haberman said.

The truck was abandoned a few blocks from the scene of the crime. The thief fled and had not been arrested.

The Van de Kamp’s bakery truck driver was making a delivery at the Lucky Market in Northridge about 2:15 a.m. and had left the truck with its engine running, Officer Rich Rashi said.

“The truck driver came out of the store to get back to his truck as it was being driven out of the parking lot (by the suspect),” Rashi said. “The tailgate was still down and all the Van de Kamp’s merchandise fell out as he was driving away.

“Doughnuts and pies and bagels, wheat germ bread, double double chocolate cake with nuts on top--all this was falling out of the truck,” Rashi said.

A witness to the theft followed the bakery truck out of the parking lot but lost sight of it a few blocks away, he said.

Officers took the report from the bakery driver, then headed up the street to the area where the truck was last seen.

“We drove up (the street) and there were more bakery goods,” he said.

The officers followed the diminishing trail of baked goods and found the truck abandoned a few blocks away.

“There were two cherry pies and an angel food cake left in the truck,” Rashi said.

Police estimated that between $800 and $1,000 worth of pastry and baked goods were destroyed. The truck was undamaged and returned to the driver.