David Bastar hopped into the Grimaldi's Home of Bread truck on Manhattan's Upper East Side early Monday while the real driver was making a delivery at a pizzeria, according to police.
Reportedly wearing only his underwear, Bastar then allegedly began dropping off baguettes, whole-wheat rolls and sourdough bread - but not to the bakery's customers, said Joe Grimaldi, the owner of the baker in the Ridgewood neighborhood of Queens.
"The bread was left somewhere. Where I don't know," he said. "He dropped a lot of bread."
Grimaldi said about $5,000 in bread was taken. The bakery later was able to accommodate all its customers.
"It's a bizarre incident but nothing happened to the truck. No one was hurt. There was no damage. I got my truck back," said Grimaldi.
Bastar, of Nanuet, was arrested later at LaGuardia Airport, where police say he wound up after tailgating a driver for several miles.
The driver became concerned about being followed and called police, said Erica Dumas, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport.
Police determined that the truck had been stolen that morning.
Bastar, who was taken to a hospital for evaluation, was charged with criminal possession of stolen goods and driving without a license.
Grimaldi said a shuttle bus driver who witnessed the arrest called the bakery and said, "If you need a driver, I'll work for you."
Source: Associated Press