Comedy troupe decries Victorian laws after CCTV captures man breaking into its office

2 months ago 6

Comedy troupe Sooshi Mango have taken aim at Victorian crime laws after a man smashed into their office in Carlton on Sunday.

In a social media post on Monday morning, the comedy group shared CCTV footage that showed a man push through a door – shattering its glass – near its Lygon Street restaurant just before 7pm.

“He didn’t end up stealing anything because he couldn’t find anything of value,” the post said. “We are Italians, we don’t leave our cash in obvious places.”

Sooshi Mango have more than 3 million followers on Instagram thanks to their popular comedy skits, which largely make fun of their Italian roots and other ethnic stereotypes.

The Melbourne trio opened the restaurant Johnny, Vince & Sam’s in mid-2023, and said the break-in captured on Sunday night was not far from the venue.

They said the damaged door was “no real drama” but shared the video in an attempt to identify the man responsible.

Members of the Sooshi Mango comedy troupe were crowned last year’s Kings of Moomba.

“If we can stop him from taking advantage of just one other honest business then we have done our job,” the post said.

“Perhaps if Victoria had stricter laws these filthy rotten leaches wouldn’t have the confidence to go around breaking into places in broad daylight.”

Sooshi Mango members Joe Salanitri, Carlo Salanitri and Andrew Manfre said the attention on the break-in due to the group’s online following was extraordinary.

“But this stuff is happening every day, especially in Victoria, where it feels pretty much out of control, and these incidents just don’t seem as newsworthy any more because it’s just how things are,” the trio told this masthead via email.

“Right now, break-ins are seen as low risk, and that needs to change so businesses and staff can feel safe at work. We must see stronger deterrents and faster consequences, particularly for repeat offenders, if we’re serious about cracking down on crime in this state.”

Victoria Police, meanwhile, confirmed that detectives from the Melbourne West Crime Investigation Unit were investigating the commercial burglary on Drummond Street.