Officials smile

Half-naked sausage thief causes a stir in front of the opera

The half-naked man seemed to have been suddenly seized by a fierce hunger in the cold.

(Bild: Leserreporter)

A curious incident occurred in front of the Vienna State Opera on Wednesday night: passers-by reported a man in his underwear rioting in front of the State Opera. A Viennese sausage stand is said to have been targeted by the troublemaker. 

This must have made even one or two officials smile. Because on Wednesday night, a bizarre incident in front of the Vienna State Opera caused quite a stir: A man, dressed only in his underwear in sub-zero temperatures, rioted loudly in the street.

Sudden shouting in front of the State Opera
Although the incident was already bizarre in itself, it reached its climax in an even greater absurdity. A Vienna police patrol, which was present at the State Opera, became aware of the incident through sudden shouting.

In front of the State Opera, the sausage thief gesticulated wildly and argued with the officers.

(Bild: Leserreporter)

Theft with entertainment value
Apparently the man, who was only wearing underpants and was obviously very drunk, had tried to steal a few sausages from the stall operator without being noticed. As he tried to escape, the operator is said to have expressed his displeasure and shouted after him what he was doing. The man's theft was unsuccessful and would probably have failed, not only because of his recognizability.

According to witness reports, the man then had a wild exchange of blows with the officers. The discussion apparently had a certain entertainment value for both passers-by and the officers, as one passer-by reported to krone.at. The police themselves did not provide any further details about the incident.