Notorious 'face mask man' from Zwanenburg arrested, receives jail time for bicycle theft

Police in Zwanenburg have arrested a 71-year-old man, long known to residents as the mask-wearing man, following a string of suspected burglaries and thefts in the area. The suspect, who lacks a fixed residence, was initially spotted by officers during a nighttime patrol on November 5 while riding a stolen bicycle. After a brief foot chase, he was apprehended and subsequently convicted by a police judge for theft. The man received a one-month prison sentence, with two weeks suspended, resulting in an immediate two-week incarceration period.

The individual had become a local nuisance over several months, with numerous residents reporting break-ins at their sheds and gardens. Surveillance footage from various homes frequently captured the suspect, who consistently wore a face mask, testing door handles and trespassing on private property. While the recent conviction specifically addresses the bicycle theft, authorities suspect the man is responsible for multiple other offenses in the village. This arrest provides some relief to the local community, which had been alerting one another to his presence since May.