Ice cream machine lever
Some items are so specific that you might wonder how someone could know what it is. Case in point, this metallic object. At first glance, it looks to be a missing part of some unknown contraption, but the OP discovered it after a break-in. Did the burglar use this thing instead of a rake lock pick to get in?
On Reddit, someone helpfully explained to the OP that this object is an ice cream machine lever. You pull on the lever to dispense ice cream. Unless you’ve spent countless hours working an ice cream machine at one point, you probably never would have guessed what it was. Though it does beg the question, what did the would-be burglar use it for?