A man and woman walked into a Jamaica Plain takeout restaurant, ordered food, and then made off with the tip jar sitting on the counter — straws, napkins and all. Now Boston Police are asking the public to help identify the pair in connection with the theft at Pika Pollo JP on Washington Street.
According to the Boston Police Department, the victim reported that an unknown male and female entered the restaurant and purchased food around 7:40 p.m. on October 8, before stealing the tip jar along with straws and napkins. Officers assigned to District E-13 responded to the larceny report near 3160 Washington Street at approximately 5:42 p.m. the next day, Friday, October 9. Universal Hub identified the business as Pika Pollo JP, a Dominican takeout restaurant, and reported that the suspects grabbed the money from the counter box and then took the box itself while an employee was preparing their order.
District E-13 detectives are now investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding the theft, and police are urging anyone with information to call detectives at (617) 343-5628. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the Crimestoppers tip line by calling 1-800-494-TIPS, texting TIP to CRIME (27463), or submitting information online through Boston Police Crimestoppers.
A Theft Steps From the Police Station
The location adds an odd wrinkle to the case: District E-13's own station sits at 3347 Washington Street, less than a quarter-mile from the restaurant where the theft took place, according to the City of Boston. The department also reminded the public this week that the station operates a 24-hour, video-monitored Safe Exchange Zone meant to discourage property crimes and give residents a secure place to complete transactions.
Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 266, Section 30, stealing property valued at $1,200 or less is classified as misdemeanor larceny, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,500, per the Ernest Stone law firm. That threshold reflects the Massachusetts Criminal Justice Reform Act, which raised the state's felony larceny cutoff from $250 to $1,200 specifically to keep minor thefts and counter shoplifting from automatically triggering felony prison sentences, according to the Law Office of Frank D. Camera and Associates.
Larceny Remains Jamaica Plain's Most Common Property Crime
Non-vehicle larceny — the category covering thefts like this one — remains the single largest driver of property crime in Jamaica Plain. Crime data analyzed by Eric Rollo Real Estate shows District E-13 logged 519 Part One property crime incidents through late August 2025, a 19 percent drop from the 642 recorded over the same period in 2024. Of those, 278 were classified as “other larceny,” the category that includes shoplifting and counter thefts, making it the neighborhood's largest property crime subcategory.
With an estimated population of roughly 42,949 residents in 2025, that works out to about one property crime incident per 83 residents across the neighborhood, per the same analysis. The scale of such thefts is not unique to Jamaica Plain either — Boston Police logged 17 “other larceny” reports citywide in a single 24-hour period on Thursday, according to the department's daily public reports.
Washington Street itself has seen other property crime activity investigated by District E-13 detectives in recent months. In February, detectives arrested a 37-year-old Hyde Park man on commercial burglary charges after responding to an early-morning break-in at 3531 Washington Street, on the same commercial corridor. Anyone with information on the tip jar theft is asked to come forward, as investigators continue working to identify the two people involved.
