An Aussie celebrity chef has shared the moment he almost came face-to-face with a thief, in a haunting interaction he says gave him “chills”.
Melbourne-based chef and personal trainer Luke Hines posted the CCTV footage on Instagram with his 105,000 followers, showing the moment a man rushes into the underground garage of his property to steal his $7000 e-bike.
The thief gained access after Mr Hines left the garage in his car, leaving the roller door open.
However, Mr Hines quickly parked outside and returned to the garage after having a “gut feeling” about a group of “suspicious” looking people standing at the top of his driveway.
The footage shows the thief quickly picking up a metal rod as a weapon and fleeing as Mr Hines returns to the garage, doing a quick scan to see if anything was missing.
As Mr Hines leaves, the thief returns and takes his expensive e-bike.
Speaking to news.com.au, Mr Hines said he had “chills” after checking the CCTV footage.
“It was haunting to see it unfold right in front of my eyes, and quite haunting how close I was to a potentially dangerous altercation,” he said.
Mr Hines said the garage is a secure carport shared between six apartments.
“Up until this moment I had always felt so safe and secure in this carpark space,” he said.
“It’s where I store all of my belongings, take my rubbish to the bins at night in my jocks, it really is just an extension of home. But not anymore sadly.”
He also commended NSW Police who were able to get prints off the metal rod the thief picked up during the interaction.
“They also said the CCTV was great as it really gave them a good look at his face, clothes and other identifying features,” he said.
“No leads yet, but it’s early days.”
Mr Hines said it was a good lesson in trusting your gut – and hoped his bike would eventually be returned.
“Fortunately they only took one bike, but sadly it was my bike. It was an e-bike worth over 7K, so pretty devastating, it was only 3 months old,” he said.
“I am feeling extra cautious even in what used to be referred to as secure spaces, and when I get a new bike I won’t lock it up there.”