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Pizza theft in Hagen: Pizzeria driver leaves keys behind!
In Hagen, a car was stolen during a pizza delivery. The perpetrator remains unknown and investigations are on hold.
Pizza theft in Hagen: Pizzeria driver leaves keys behind!
An incident that shocked the pizza delivery industry in North Rhine-Westphalia: On July 29, 2025, a car was stolen during a delivery in Hagen. Agim Zeneli, the owner of the affected pizzeria, is concerned about the circumstances of the theft. The driver had left the keys behind when he delivered an order on Poplar Street. When the car was found at Dortmund Airport on August 23, it turned out that it had fake or stolen license plates. There were also signs that the perpetrators may have operated internationally.
When the vehicle was returned, Agim discovered that the pizza delivery tray was damaged and the car had over 17,000 kilometers more on the clock than before it was stolen. There were wires hanging under the steering wheel, suggesting the perpetrators may have lost the key and hotwired the vehicle. When checking the car, Zeneli found small bags that could indicate possible drug transport. Despite these indications, the public prosecutor's office has not yet been able to identify any perpetrators and the proceedings have been discontinued. A resumption of the investigation will only be considered if there are new clues.
The dark side of the delivery industry
But that's not the only incident drawing attention to the risks in the pizza delivery business. A pizza delivery man from Berlin is charged by the public prosecutor with a particularly brazen case of fraud. Between December 2021 and May 2023, the 24-year-old is said to have tricked his employer's cash register system in no fewer than 1,255 cases. He reduced the purchase price for the orders and kept the difference for himself. The sum he was able to collect was over 39,000 euros - a considerable sum for quick money.
The Berlin public prosecutor's office warns that customers paid the correct price, but the pizza delivery man withheld between 10 and 128 euros per order. The store manager became suspicious as he checked the rosters and eventually informed the authorities. These developments highlight the challenges delivery services face and the risks that exist in the industry.
Crime in Europe
The incidents mentioned fit into a larger picture of crime in Europe. According to Eurostat, the European statistics agency, the published crime data only refers to officially registered crimes. This means that only cases are recorded when victims or witnesses file a criminal complaint. Due to differences in national legal systems, comparisons between countries are often misleading. Statistics do not always give a completely accurate picture of reality.
Eurostat recommends focusing on trends and consulting metadata for each country to gain a better understanding of crime policy developments. What is clear is that the pizza delivery industry as we know it is not only under economic pressure from such incidents, but also from the growing risk of crime and fraud.
The events in Hagen and Berlin show how important it is to take security precautions and take the challenges of criminal activity in the industry seriously. It is hoped that there will be fewer such incidents in the future and security measures will be increased in the delivery industry.
We will keep you updated on further developments.