UC Irvine food and toiletries pantry burglarized

A food and toiletries pantry at UC Irvine was hit by a burglary Saturday, authorities said.

The incident at the Fresh Basic Needs Hub at 4079 Mesa Road occurred at about 7 a.m., when the pantry was closed, according to the UC Irvine Police Department.

The pantry, at the end of Lot 5 in the Anteater Community Resource Center, provides emergency food and toiletries to UCI students in need.

According to surveillance video, the burglar was a white man with a beard and dressed in black clothing and a black hat, police said.

The pantry posted on Facebook on Saturday that an investigation would continue Monday to determine whether any items were damaged or stolen. Police said Saturday that it wasn’t known how the burglar got into the pantry.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the UCI Police Department at (949) 824-5223.

Daily Pilot staff contributed to this report.

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