Updated 5/28: Creekside Coffee Factory posted on its Facebook page last night that Bearamel Macchiatto has been returned to the store. The coffee shop has asked the RCMP to close the file.
Original story:
It’s not your typical kidnapping, but a Metro Vancouver coffee shop is asking the public for help solving a bear-y concerning abduction.
Around 4:13 p.m. on May 21, Bearamel Macchiato the giant teddy bear was kidnapped from Creekside Coffee Factory in Coquitlam, located at 19-2773 Barnet Hwy.
“He isn't just a teddy bear. He is our mascot,” the coffee shop posted on its Facebook page. “He is our history. He is our friend and customers' friend. He means a lot to us.”
Bearamel has lived at the café for the last five years, and is bear-y important to customers and staff alike.
“A lot of customers and their children love Bearamel, and have been asking about him,” said April Shim, who has worked at the coffee shop for 1.5 years. “They’re really mad about it, but we’re all hoping Bearamel comes home safely.”
He is very cuddly, and loves socializing with customers, posing for portraits and selfies, and relaxing in comfortable places. Bearamel has many friends, including a fox he often has coffee with.
His abduction has been unbearable, staff said, and it’s impawsible to imagine a life without him.
Bearamel is described as around 5-9, with white-beige fur, and is soft and fluffy. He has a tubby, rotund build (Bearamel has a sweet tooth), a big brown nose, black eyes, and is always smiling.
Creekside Coffee Factory surveillance video captured the moment of the kidnapping.
A man walks in to the café, picks up Bearamel, puts him down, then leaves. Moments later he returns, picks Bearamel up again, and flees the scene with the teddy in his arms.
The suspect is described as between 5-8 and 6-2, with brown hair and an athletic build. He wore a sports jersey with the number 75 over a white t-shirt, long shorts, a backwards baseball cap, and had what appeared to be a grey sweater around his shoulders.
Creekside Coffee Factory has issued a plea to the kidnapper for the safe return of their beloved Bearamel.
“As long as we get him back soon, we will consider it as a joke,” the Facebook page reads. “If we don't get him back soon, we will do our best to make every single person in Tri-cities sees these pictures and video… many people are disappointed from what you did.”
Anyone with information is asked not to contact Coquitlam RCMP, but to instead call Creekside Coffee Factory at 604-554-0100.
“Our boss didn’t want to report this to the police – he just wants to let the person [who took Bearamel] to know that this is really important to us,” added Shim.
For more pictures of Bearamel Macchiato, check out the full gallery here.
