Real Life Grinch Steals Christmas Tree

Many have seen, read, or heard about Dr. Seuss’s How The Grinch Stole Christmas. The story is about a creature that hates Christmas and steals all the decorations from a small town to stop Christmas from coming. Here, in the real world, there’s been an occurrence that almost mirrors this behavior.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Christmas is a time for family, for giving, and for decorating the tree. One California family bought a Christmas tree in the hopes of dressing up the tree with the kids. As is usual, these trees can be pretty large, and the larger ones can barely be stuffed into a car.

In this case, the tree was large enough to run the entire length of the vehicle. The owner of the tree, Jesus, stated that they tied it to the roof of their car to make it easier to transport. Little did he know that his decision would end up in disaster for the tree and their Christmas hopes.

A Very Busy Day

Christmas season usually means doubling up on the time you spend running errands. This is exactly what happened with Jesus because, on this day, the family would be headed out to buy a Christmas tree for decorating later, alongside other errands.

The tree was the first stop because it would need to be carried atop the car. They tied the tree to the top of the car and headed out to the nearby mall since they would have to spend some time picking up other odds and ends from there.

The Grinch Steals Christmas

When they pulled up in the mall’s parking lot, Jesus ensured that the tree was still secured on top of the car. He checked the hooks and the mounting at the top for his own peace of mind, then headed to the mall with the rest of the family to do their errands.

The family didn’t spend too long in the mall. Most of the errands were straightforward, and they already knew what they were looking for. After a little while, the family headed back to their car, only to find the top bare. The tree was missing!

Looking for Clues In the Parking Lot

The first stop for Jesus was checking out what he could see based on the parking lot and its surroundings. The tree, being recently cut, didn’t have a lot of shed needles. It was obvious that whoever took the tree probably didn’t carry it away by hand either.

From this, he figured that whoever stole it probably used a car. A brilliant idea popped into Jesus’s head. The parking lot probably had security cameras, and that meant he’d have an idea of the culprit. He set off to find the security office and see who really took his Christmas tree.

A Well-Planned Crime

Jesus had no problem finding the surveillance office and checking the footage. What he saw amazed him and made him wonder what sort of person would do something like this. This behavior was odd and quite unnatural, especially during Christmas time.

From the footage, Jesus noticed a man drive past his car, then stop and back up. The thief pulled into the car next to Jesus’ SUV and hopped out of the vehicle. Methodically, he cut every rope holding the tree to Jesus’s SUV and pulled the tree off the car by himself.

You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch

In typical cartoon style, the man proceeded to push the tree into the trunk of his own car. Jesus couldn’t believe his eyes as this man, a complete stranger, stole the tree off his car in front of his eyes, then drove off, probably to his own home.

Aside from the uniqueness of the crime, the perpetrator did this in broad daylight in a busy car park. According to the security camera footage, the theft occurred at 5:20 PM. Since it’s Christmas season, the car park would have had many people walking around.

Why Didn’t Anyone Stop Him?

In the footage, the man spends a little while wrangling the tree over to his car trunk before leaving. No one stepped up to stop him, and that’s probably because of how slick he was with his knives and how self-assured he carried off the theft.

Most people wouldn’t think it that strange to see a man carrying a tree to their vehicle. It is the Christmas season, after all. And if someone thought it odd he was stuffing the tree into his trunk; they weren’t so concerned as to confront the man about it.

Police are Baffled By The Event

Naturally Jesus reported the theft to the police. At first, they didn’t take the report seriously, but as he followed up with them and the evidence of the security footage showed up, their attitude changed from uninterested to disbelief.

The San Mateo police are well aware of how much more prevalent crimes are during the Christmas season. With so many shoppers eagerly getting Christmas presents, it opens the door to criminal activity. Even so, this crime was unique in its scope and its target.

Not a Serial Occurrence

Police have kept an eye out for what they’re terming “Mr. Grinchmas,” but so far, it seems as though he’s only struck once. With so many other crimes to track during the season, this remains one of the strangest cases.

Based on what police have said, it doesn’t seem the man is stealing the tree out of necessity. It doesn’t seem like he will use it, the way he stuffed it roughly into his trunk. The motive, as far as they could tell, is that the man just really hates Christmas.

No Arrests As Yet

The footage shows the man stealing the tree, but no details can be clearly seen. As a result, there have been no arrests just yet since there’s no solid evidence to pin down the man or his vehicle. He’s still running around California, stealing other people’s Christmas.

As for Jesus and his family, this has been quite a shock to them. The tree cost around $250, but aside from the cost, it’s an integral tradition for their family. One can only hope that “Mr. Grinchmas” doesn’t do this to another family.