St Petersburg Popeyes: alleged burglar climbs drive-thru window to pretend to take orders
Police in St Petersburg, Florida, say someone climbed through a closed Popeyes drive-thru window around 3am, filmed themselves pretending to take an order, and walked off with a bottle of water.
If you ever wondered what the night shift looks like when nobody is scheduled – St Petersburg, Florida, has an answer.
According to an arrest affidavit reported by FOX 13 Tampa Bay and 10 Tampa Bay (WTSP) (late October 2026), St Petersburg police say someone entered a closed Popeyes on 34th Street North around 2:53am on 27 October.
Stock photo: a Popeyes in Tallahassee, Florida (January 2025) – not the St Petersburg branch. Photo: The Bushranger / CC BY-SA 4.0.
Surveillance cameras allegedly captured the person climbing in and out through the drive-thru window. After a Miranda warning, police say the person admitted entering, filming a video inside, and taking a bottle of water from a fridge.
AI illustration – imagined climb; not the real person or restaurant.
The video, according to the affidavit, shows the person standing at the drive-thru window from the inside, pretending to take an order and typing on the order station – a full shift cosplay, minus the customers, the chicken and the clocking-in.
AI illustration – phantom orders and liquid gold; allegations not proven in court.
Police charged the person with burglary of an unoccupied structure. Allegations have not been proven in court, and Gorilla Gazette is not naming the private individual charged.
AI illustration – spot the tiny gorilla on the menu board if you can.
Moral of the night: if you’re going to staff a closed drive-thru, maybe don’t film the induction video yourself.
