A Houston bakery was burglarized early Thursday morning, just a day after its owner began his first round of chemotherapy for stage 4 colon cancer. The incident marks the third time the bakery, located in the city's Heights neighborhood, has been targeted by thieves.
Burglary Details
According to reports by KHOU11, three suspects forced their way into The Bearded Baker at approximately 2:30 a.m. Surveillance footage captured the men kicking through the front window and prying open a sliding door before ransacking the shop. The break-in caused extensive damage, yet the thieves made off with only a speaker and a tub of peanut butter.
The bakery's owner, Allan Hursig, shared the surveillance video on Instagram with a message to customers: “Well... To add to our 2026 bingo card... We Just had 3 stooges break into the shop last night. We will be open for business as usual but please ignore the mess! And If you know anything or recognize any of these guys. Please reach out!”
Owner's Health Battle
Hursig told local media that his security alarm woke him during the break-in. “I saw three guys rummaging around,” he said, adding that the cost of replacing the broken window far exceeded the value of the stolen items. The burglary came during an already difficult week for Hursig, who was diagnosed with colon cancer last month. Doctors found the cancer had spread to his liver, and he attended his first chemotherapy session Wednesday, less than 24 hours before the break-in.
“It's heartbreaking, but of all the problems in the world, this is an easier one to deal with right now,” Hursig told KHOU11. “I'm hopeful, I'm optimistic. I caught it early and I'm young in comparison to most cancer patients.”
Public Disclosure
Hursig had publicly disclosed his diagnosis on May 6 via a statement on the bakery's Instagram page. The post read: “We are still open and will continue as such! Just wanted to give everyone my personal health update. I will keep everyone posted as to my progress and will use this as an opportunity to help as many people in as many ways as I can.” In the statement, he wrote: “I have recently been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. There are a lot of unknowns at the moment so please give us some grace as we figure out the next steps forward.”
Community Response
Hursig told local reporters that his family rushed to the shop right after the break-in to patch the window and returned the next morning to clean up. “What I'm actually fighting toward is actually getting back to the things I love to make people happy,” he said. The Houston Police Department is investigating the burglary and urged anyone with information about the suspects to contact authorities.
