A man walked into Rocco's Pizza in Glen Burnie around 3 p.m. Tuesday, grabbed the tip jar off the counter and walked right back out before anyone could stop him. The jar held about $30, money that had been left behind by customers for the staff. Surveillance footage shows him wearing a red hooded sweatshirt as he approaches the counter, takes the jar and leaves.
Colby James, who works at Rocco's and is the nephew of owner David James, was in the back preparing dough with two coworkers ahead of the dinner rush when it happened, according to CBS News. It took about 15 minutes for James and his coworkers to notice the jar was gone. By the time they checked outside, the man had already left.
James said the theft felt like a slap in the face, not just to the business but to the customers who had tipped in good faith. He described Rocco's as a small, family-owned shop that has served the Glen Burnie community for decades, and said his uncle works hard just to keep the restaurant running. For a business already navigating the tight margins that come with running a small food shop, James said, losing even a jar of tip money stings.
Not the First Time
This isn't the first run-in Rocco's has had with someone making off with its tips. Employees said the restaurant was targeted in a similar incident back in 2024, according to the same CBS report. James said that history made this week's theft especially frustrating, since staff already know what it's like to have their tip money taken without warning.
After the theft, Rocco's posted the surveillance video to Facebook, asking anyone who recognizes the man in the red hoodie to come forward. No arrest has been reported in connection with the incident.
A Pattern Across Glen Burnie, With Different Outcomes
Rocco's isn't the only Glen Burnie business that has dealt with a stolen tip jar. At Maria D's Restaurant, officers responded around 7:40 p.m. on Feb. 20 after a holdup alarm was triggered, according to FOX Baltimore. That case escalated well beyond a simple grab-and-go: police said 27-year-old Isandro Gonzalez Jr. was arrested and charged with robbery, assault and theft, according to WBAL-TV. An employee told police the suspect threatened them, saying, “If you call the police, I will take my gun out and use it,” per the same WBAL-TV report.
Tip-jar thefts tend to draw outsized attention precisely because the sums involved are small but the betrayal feels personal. The Associated Press has reported on a man who snatched a shop's tip jar after applying for a job there. On the flip side, The Washington Post reported that strangers showed up with $900 for a barista named Michael Coyne after his tip jar was stolen, an act of community generosity that Coyne said left him shocked and confused.
For now, Rocco's Pizza is hoping someone recognizes the man in the video and comes forward, the way other communities have rallied around workers who lost their tips to theft. No further updates on the Glen Burnie case have been reported.
