Karma catches up with ketchup swiper; now Heinz is helping the thief

A condiment thief was so overcome with guilt that she returned two new bottles to the scene of the crime.

Someone tried to shake off some bad luck by buying two fresh bottles of ketchup at Walmart and leaving them outside a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery in Lacey Township, New Jersey on Wednesday night. The condiment lifter left a note explaining the situation.

“A few hours [after] I did it, someone crashed into my car, and since then karma, luck, and life have been sh—,” the note said.

“I hope returning two new bottles will restore some for me, and I can stop carrying around this guilt.”

The note was signed, “From, an awful person.”

“I really felt bad,” restaurant owner Maria DiLeo told CNN. “She’s got to be 17, 18, 19. I really did feel bad.”

DiLeo posted a photo of the note to the Lacey Township public Facebook page with these words for the thief:

“To the person that returned this. You are forgiven. Hope all goes better for you lesson learned.”

Heinz noticed the situation involving their iconic ketchup and offered some word of understanding.

“Heinz makes you do crazy things.”

Reformed Ketchup Thief,
We get it, Heinz makes you do crazy things. In honor of your good Ketchup Karma, we’d love to help you with your car damages. DM us. We’ll keep your identity top secret.

— Heinz Ketchup (@HeinzKetchup_US) August 7, 2019

They also offered to help pay for the damages to the car.

DiLeo’s take on condiment karma?

“I do believe in karma,” she told CNN. “But not over a ketchup bottle.”

In fact, a job at the restaurant is not out of the question.

“I would hire her in a second,’’ DiLeo told the New York Post. “Because if you do something like that, you’re not an awful person. You’re an honest person.’’

The note, receipt and two bottles of ketchup are now on display in the restaurant, reports the Post.