A man faked heart attacks 20 times at fancy restaurants to avoid paying the bill, police say

• A man in Spain was arrested after faking a heart attack to avoid paying for a meal, police said.
• He'd repeated the stunt 20 times this year alone, according to police.

A 50-year-old Lithuanian man living in Spain repeatedly faked heart attacks at fancy restaurants to avoid paying the bill, according to Spanish authorities.

The man, whose name has not been released, was arrested last month in Alicante after attempting to leave a restaurant without settling his bill by pretending to become unwell, local police said.

It was the 20th such incident within a year, making the man well-known to the local police force, a spokesperson for Alicante National Police told Insider.

In the most recent incident, the man ordered two whiskeys and seafood paella at El Buen Corner, receiving a bill for 34.85 euros, or around $36.75, at the end of his meal, according to Spain's EFE news agency.

The manager of the restaurant, Moisés Doménech, told EFE that a colleague noticed the man attempting to dine-and-dash and informed him of the outstanding bill.

The man claimed he was going to his hotel room to get cash but restaurant staff refused to let him leave without paying, the manager said, per EFE.

According to the news agency, the man then dramatically threw himself to the ground and pretended to have a heart attack.

The restaurant staff didn't fall for the ruse and called the police, with officers recognizing the man instantly, EFE reported.

The spokesperson for Alicante National Police confirmed to Insider that the man was a repeat offender: "He was arrested multiple times in the city of Alicante. The modus operandi was the same," she said.

After refusing to provide an address, the man was taken into custody, and the case was handed over to the local judiciary.

The police spokesperson informed Insider that they were aware of the man being sent to prison, though they didn't know how long for, or if he was now free.

The local judiciary responded to Insider's request for comment by saying it could not disclose information about the case, citing security reasons.

Insider has reached out to Spain's Judicial Documentation Center of the General Council of the Judicial Branch for the individual's criminal record.

According to EFE, which cited an officer who had arrested the man on four previous occasions, he orders expensive items like lobster, entrecote, and premium whiskeys.

The officer, who was not named, noted that the man usually greeted officers with a smile and appeared unfazed about spending a night or two behind bars.