As property crime rates climb across America, one of the country’s most notorious criminals has returned: the Hamburglar. 

The mask-clad sandwich thief was recently reintroduced by McDonald’s in an ad campaign to highlight menu changes. New burgers that had been introduced in countries like Australia and Canada and are now available at West Coast cities like Los Angeles, with a larger release planned for next year. 

The two new ads, narrated by Scottish actor Brian Cox of HBO’s “Succession,” show the mischievous criminal staking out a local franchise and later stealing sandwiches from unsuspecting customers. In a statement to AdWeek, the company’s head of marketing, Tariq Hassan, said McDonald’s “saw the opportunity” to introduce new sandwiches with a familiar face. 

“To get the word out, we’re bringing back a McDonald’s favorite — the Hamburglar — because what better way to show just how good they are than to turn the most notorious burger thief loose in our marketing campaign, as he tries to get his hands on our best burgers ever,” Mr. Hassan said. 

The Hamburglar was redesigned In 2015. No longer the stout, baby-faced cartoon criminal of the 1980s and 1990s, he became a taller, slimmer live-action thief who represented a “progressive burger company,” according to CEO Steve Easterbrook.

The rebirth of the petty thief may prove ill-timed, though, as rates of property crimes like burglary, theft, and some violent forms of assault and battery are rising nationwide. 

According to a report from the Council on Criminal Justice, the country saw a marginal decrease in violent crimes like murder, rape, and aggravated assault between 2021 and 2022, but rates of violent crime are still 35 percent higher than they were in 2019. Robbery, burglary, and larceny rates all increased between 2021 and 2022, and those crime rates are nearly 60 percent higher than they were in 2019. 

Cities like Chicago and Philadelphia are standing center stage as they prepare for changeovers in elected leadership. 

Chicago, near the McDonald’s headquarters, has recently  elected a new mayor who is even further to the left than the incumbent, Lori Lightfoot. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson found himself in hot water over the weekend after defending a large mob of youths who destroyed cars and vandalized businesses. 

“It is not constructive to demonize youth who have otherwise been starved of opportunities in their own communities,” Mr. Johnson said after the riots. “Our city must work together to create spaces for youth to gather safely and responsibly, under adult guidance and supervision.”

Many amateur videos believed to be from the past weekend have gone viral on social media. One widely followed crime-focused news outlet, CWBChiago, meticulously tracks crime in the city. On Monday, the group released a shocking video of two bystanders being assaulted and robbed by some of those youths who were rioting in Chicago over the weekend. 

According to one report from the Brookings Institute, American cities are now at risk of experiencing what the authors call an “urban doom loop,” wherein cities see rising crime rates followed by an exodus of residents to safer towns or states, which then leads to a smaller revenue base, making it more difficult for city leadership to respond to rising crime.