The 21-year-old allegedly snagged eight liquor bottles from behind the bar to mess with the bartender.
Perhaps he went to the well too many times.
A 21-year-old patron at a Hackettstown pub apparently thought it would be funny to mess with the bartender by swiping eight liquor bottles from behind the bar, according to town police.
The alleged joke backfired, and the Passaic County man -- who was wanted on a $5,000 traffic warrant out of Newark -- now faces charges.
Police were patrolling about 1:20 a.m. Friday near Bea McNally's, an Irish pub at 109 Grand Ave., when a manager told them Sean Goellner, of Hawthorne, New Jersey, was stealing alcohol from behind the bar.
The seven random bottles and one of vodka were taken as a joke toward the bartender, police said.
Hackettstown police charged Goellner with theft by unlawful taking. He was released on that charge pending a court appearance, but he was unable to post bail on the traffic warrant and turned over to Newark police.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.