Hess Village restaurant reunited with stolen heaters with help from Hamilton community – Hamilton | The Canadian News

There is a happy ending for a Hamilton restaurant whose heaters were stolen at a time when it was most needed.

Electric Diner in Hess Village had four heaters used early Wednesday morning to heat its outdoor dining tent.

At the time, co-owner Erika Puckering told Global News she felt as if she was in shock when she got the news and broke down crying.

A GoFundMe was started by the owner of Andiamo, which is next to Electric Diner in George Street, with the aim of raising $ 12,000 to replace the high-end Bromic heating units. The fundraiser reached that goal by Thursday morning.

Not long after, one of Electric Diner’s Instagram followers sent a message to the restaurant saying he might have noticed the heaters on someone’s property.

Puckering told Global News Radios Good morning Hamilton that she called her husband, who drove off to the spot where the heaters were noticed.

“He sat there for four hours and waited for the police and turned out these heaters. And the person put them on their truck and started moving. We called the cops again and they arrested them. “

As it turned out, the sharp-eyed Instagram follower was right – it was the missing heaters.

Puckering said three out of four heaters are in working order and that one of them will need to be serviced, but she said they will return the money to everyone who contributed to the GoFundMe.

She acknowledges the Hamilton community for providing so much support and kindness at a time when they needed it most.

“We can not believe that we received all this money and the warm hearts of everyone who tried to get us back on our feet. It’s just unbelievable. “

Hamilton police spokeswoman Krista-Lee Ernst confirmed that two people had been arrested in connection with the heater thefts.

A 43-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman, both known to police, are facing charges of burglary and possession of less than $ 5,000.