A suspected Bay Area Christmas tree thief was filmed casually pinching a new tree from a couple's SUV and loading it onto their own car
- A Bay Area couple who tied their Christmas tree to the roof of their car had it stolen on Friday.
- Security footage shows a person casually cutting the ropes and loading the tree into their own car.
A couple in San Mateo had their Christmas tree stolen on Friday evening after leaving it tied to the roof of their car in a parking lot.
The husband, identified only by the name Jesus, said he and his wife picked up their Christmas tree and had gone into a nearby store for 10 minutes to run errands, per ABC affiliate KGO-TV.
The tree, meanwhile, was fastened with ropes to the top of their black SUV outside the Bridgepointe Shopping Center, per NBC Bay Area.
Security footage posted on X by KGO-TV anchor Dion Lim showed an unidentified person arriving in a white SUV, before cutting the ropes and hauling the tree into their car.
The apparent tree thief is then seen driving away.
"The Scrooge isn't even moving quickly. Like he/she has not a care in the world," Lim wrote in a caption.
The San Mateo Police Department told KGO-TV that the Christmas tree case was "unique" and that the theft suspect hadn't been identified yet.
"Even though we didn't catch this Grinch he/she is definitely getting added to Santa's Naughty List," police told Lim.
Police added that a local Christmas tree lot gave Jesus and his wife a new tree.
The victim decided not to file a police report, per NBC Bay Area.