CBS2 Exclusive: Thief Returns Stolen Christmas Package To Staten Island Family
NEW DORP, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A thief who targeted a Staten Island family had a sudden change of heart.
Surveillance video caught the man stealing a holiday package, but days later, he returned it with a note and a gift, CBS2's Brian Conybeare reported.
"I'm like not believing my eyes," homeowner Michele Santobello said.
She was at work Monday when she saw the surveillance video on a mobile app linked to her security cameras.
"I was watching this at my desk live, flipping out, screaming at my phone," she told CBS2's Tracee Carrasco earlier in the week.
The thief, with a very recognizable hairdo, short and flip flops, brazenly took a $150 pair of boots that Santobello bought online for her husband, Ronnie.
"She told me some SOB walked off with the package. I thought she was kidding," he said.
Then amazingly, they think the same man returned Friday night, this time wearing a hoodie, bringing the boots back after seeing himself on CBS2 News.
"When it hit Channel 2, that was the Piece' de resistance. His face was everywhere," Ronnie said.
"I couldn't believe it. It almost seemed like a Christmas miracle or something," Santobello said.
The remorseful thief even left a Christmas card with a note.
"I have two beautiful girls. Sorry, happy Christmas, happy New Year, blessings," it read.
The note also asked the couple to drop their police complaint, but they said they're not so sure about that.
"Is he sorry that he actually did this crime? Or is he sorry that he was caught on video?" Santobello wants to know.
The Santobellos installed the $800 surveillance system and mobile app over the summer after they had packages stolen the past two Christmases. Now, they say it was worth every penny.
