Lithuanian Man Arrested for Faking Heart Attacks to Evade Restaurant Bills

A 50-year-old Lithuanian man was recently arrested in Spain, facing allegations of trickery to evade payment in not less than 20 restaurants. He had reportedly developed an unorthodox approach to eschew payment – by staging theatrical productions of heart attacks right at his table. Once the bill arrived, he’d grab his chest in feigned pain, collapsing onto the restaurant floor, sending staff in a flurry of panic.

The fraudulent scam was primarily orchestrated in the Costa Blanca region, where he had turned his gastronomic experiences into a series of free meals, causing significant financial losses to the local businesses. His method, although grotesquely innovative, remained successful until a suspicious business owner saw through his act. Grasping the well-rehearsed performance for the scam it was, the owner documented the scene, issuing alerts to fellow businesses to beware of the 'heart attack' con artist.

The man’s antics were fully exposed when he attempted to pull his usual stunt at El Buen Comer. This time, instead of calling for medical assistance, the alerted staff summoned the police. "It was very theatrical," told the Manager of El Buen Comer to Oddity Central, “We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again.”

Arriving at the scene, the officers recognized the ‘patient’ from similar incidents reported at other local eateries, leading to the man's apprehension. This turns out to be a part of a trend, as evidenced by a 2008 case where a US citizen was accused of faking a heart attack to avoid paying restaurant bills and taxi fares.