'I Feel Violated,' Dyker Heights Man Asks Thief To Return Inflatable Santa
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A Brooklyn man has taken to social media after having a Christmas decoration stolen from his Dyker Heights home.
As CBS2's Emily Smith reported, surveillance footage shows the man walking into a yard and targeting an inflatable Santa.
"Pulled the Santa, took out a knife, ripped out the twine, looked to see how else, put the knife back," the homeowner who identified himself as 'Anthony' said.
And off he went -- right onto the sidewalk along Bay Ridge Parkway in Brooklyn.
"I feel violated. This is something small, nothing crazy, but it's more for my kids. My daughter had to see this," he said.
The neighborhood is a Mecca for those who love their holiday decorations -- known for having some of the best in the Tri-State Area.
"Some of my neighbors have statues. They spend thousands. Who's to say this perpetrator won't do it to them," he said.
When his $200, life-size Santa disappeared on Tuesday night, Anthony took to social media to shame the perpetrator.
Anthony isn't alone. On Tuesday night, CBS2 reported that someone took off with a laser light display on Staten Island, only to return it days later with a handwritten apology note. He too was shamed on social media.
"I don't even care it's deflated, just put it back," Anthony said.
Police have encouraged people to take their statues and inflatable inside at night, or put them out of reach -- something Anthony said he's thought of.
"I was gonna put Santa up there, and put the tree down here, but I didn't do it this year. He could have the tree, I would rather have Santa," he said.
He said anything other than showing it off really takes the fun out of Christmas and lighting up the night with holiday spirit.