A Lithuanian man was recently arrested in Spain for allegedly faking heart attacks inside restaurants in an attempt to avoid paying for the meal.
The man has become known by locals as “gastrojeta” and is identified only by the name of Aidas J., according to Fox 4 KDFW.
He has reportedly faked a heart attack to dine-and-dash at least 20 times near the city of Alicante, Spain.
The most recent attempt allegedly occurred in late September at El Buen Comer restaurant-tapería following a dinner that included a seafood paella and two whiskeys, which reportedly cost around $36.75 USD, according to Insider.
Moisés Doménech, the restaurant manager, said the man finished his meal and “was going to leave without paying, but a colleague stopped him and told him that the bill was pending,” according to Spanish international news organization Agencia EFE.
The man, who seemed to understand but did not speak Spanish, reportedly conveyed to the restaurant worker that he was going to get money from his hotel room and come back to pay. However, the worker did not believe him and refused to let him leave without first submitting payment.
After refusing to let him leave to get money, the man allegedly fell to the floor and pretended to suffer from a heart attack.
The restaurant workers were not convinced and proceeded to call the police rather than an ambulance.
After arriving at the scene, the man requested that the police officers call an ambulance to assist him with his medical condition.
Officers then recognized the man, confirmed that he was not suffering from a heart attack, and took him to the police station on a fraud charge.
A spokesperson for the Alicante National Police told Insider that the man “was arrested multiple times in the city of Alicante” and confirmed that he was sent to prison, though they were unsure for how long or if he was already free.
Photos posted to the El País Facebook page show the man sitting in a courtroom.
One police officer who has apparently arrested the man four separate times said the alleged offender does not seem to care about spending a night in prison and often smiles when police officers arrive at the scene, EFE reported.
Doménech said he took multiple photos of the man and sent them to other restaurants to warn them about the scheme.
