Cupcake Thief Breaks Into Vancouver Bakery, Cleans Up Glass, Takes Selfies and Leaves

On the morning of Friday, May 26, Emma Irvine learned that her Dunbar Bakery, Sweet Something, had been broken into. But more shocking than the shattered front door and missing cupcakes (chocolate champagne flavour, if you’re wondering) was the security cam footage.

Videos show the thief standing outside the store at around 3:00 a.m. on Friday. “He decided to just hang out for a while—he sat outside for 15 to 20 minutes, knocked on the door, just sat there, hung out, chilled and vibed,” says Irvine, who, if you haven’t already guessed, is approaching this situation with a healthy sense of humour.

After deciding to go all-in and kicking in the door, the Cupcake Culprit (patent pending) walks around for a few minutes, sits down (“He must be really tired from breaking into my business,” says Irvine), uses the store’s bathroom, then seems to notice that he’s made a mess—and grabs a mop to tidy up the broken glass.

“Honestly, gotta love a criminal that is at least respectful… a respectful king, we love to see it,” says the bakery owner. “He didn’t do a very good job, though,” she adds.

The quotes above are taken from a video Irvine posted to TikTok on Friday—one that has since earned over 200,000 views and comments from both TikTok icon Dylan Mulvaney and adored local comedian Darcy Michael—and I spoke with Irvine on Saturday. “We all had a good laugh,” she says. “I’ve never seen a burglar attempt to clean up his own mess.”

The mop fiasco alone would have likely been enough to make her video go viral, but the Cupcake Culprit manages to outdo himself just a few minutes later. Irvine tells it best:

“When I was reviewing the video, I saw that he picks up our [store] phone at one point… and I just had this hunch, that I bet you he left selfies. You can actually see the flash go off. He takes three selfies, and changes his position and his sunglasses.”

Oh, did I forget to mention that said thief is wearing orange sunglasses for the duration of this sweet, strange crime? After leaving some truly hilarious evidence, he departs the scene with a single box of cupcakes, which Irvine says are valued at about $29.

According to Irvine, this is the second time the bakery has been broken into since it first opened in 2018. This act of thievery is much more bizarre than the first, and Sweet Something is already baking up some friendly revenge: the Crime of Passion cupcake features a pair of orange sunglasses (and no broken glass, of course). Proceeds from the cupcake sales will help to fix the damaged door, and put Irvine solidly in the running for the World’s Best Sport award.

“It’s kind of one of those situations where, you know, somebody hands you lemons and you make lemonade,” says Irvine. In this case, someone handed her a selfie and she’s making cupcakes with shades. They’re available starting today.

Irvine does have a message for the thief: “I hope they’re good, bro. Next time just ask.”

For those wondering, Sweet Something’s hours are Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00 am to 5:00 p.m. Despite the obvious demand, there are no plans to extend their hours to 3:00 a.m. on Fridays.

Watch the full video embedded below, or at the link here.

@itsemmaokayy Man breaks into bakery to steal 6 cupcakes and tries to clean up after himself #vancouver #bakery #breakandenter #crime #vpd #fyp #fypシ #criminaloffensivesideeye ♬ original sound – Emma