Perhaps he was in need of a hug.
In the early hours of Valentine’s Day, a man reportedly unleashed chaos at a chic steakhouse on Manhattan’s West Side, gulping down a $50 bottle of gin before launching into a destructive spree, according to police and insider sources this past Sunday.
His tumultuous night concluded just a few blocks away when he allegedly landed a punch on an unsuspecting passerby.
Jonathan Jones, 36, allegedly made his dramatic entrance into Uncle Jack’s Steakhouse on Ninth Avenue, near West 35th Street, at approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday. Shattering a front window, he seized an expensive bottle of Botanist gin, took a substantial swig, and proceeded to wreak havoc on the bar’s valuable liquor collection, authorities and sources reported.
“There was significant damage,” recounted Muhammed Yaseen, the restaurant’s manager, to The Post. “He appeared to be just passing by with a shopping bag in hand. He set it down and apparently thought, ‘Why not just break in here?'”
Yaseen described how the intruder continued his rampage until a sizable hole was punched into the door, with security footage capturing the brazen break-in.
Yaseen said the thief then drank the gin and hurled the bottle at the bar, shattering bottles of tequila, wine and Chivas Regal Scotch — causing about $4,000 in damages.
“He took a really good sip [of the gin],” Yaseen said. “He got taste.
“At least he didn’t go for the meat,” the manager said.
“There was a huge meat display. We were worried that he was going to go there and grab meat. There’s a lot of expensive Kobe and Waygu there.”
Bizarrely, the culprit pulled the fire alarm after busting in, Yaseen said.
The criminal escaped — but only for awhile.
Jones was busted in the caper as a result of another incident minutes later, when he punched a victim in the face on Eighth Avenue near West 28th Street, cops said.
The victim in that case pointed Jones out as the culprit, and police eventually linked him to the Uncle Jack’s break-in, too, authorities said.
Jones was charged with raps including burglary, robbery and criminal mischief.
The steakhouse boarded up its broken window, cleaned up the smashed glass and was able to open for Valentine’s Day, one of the eatery’s busiest days with couple’s celebrating the holiday.
Jones was meanwhile arraigned, although the outcome of the hearing was not immediately clear.
Additional reporting by David DeTurris
