As Southern Californians prepare for the holiday season, Christmas Grinches targeting Riverside County homes remain at large.
On Dec. 1 at around 4:30 a.m., Alexandra Falcon’s surveillance video caught at least two suspects trespassing on her property on Calle Vejar in Moreno Valley.
“A group of guys were on my lawn and on my neighbor’s as well and they had unplugged from the extension chord on two of our inflatables,” Falcon said.
The woman’s security cameras captured at least two people stealing large, pricey Christmas decorations from the homes on her street.
“We had a singular reindeer, like a Rudolph reindeer, and then we had a Santa,” Falcon said.
Video from Falcon and her neighbor across the street shows a man approaching Falcon’s home, then walking away. Minutes later, he returns to grab the holiday inflatables from her front lawn and calmly walks away.
“I was shocked,” Falcon said. “I was like, ‘This can’t be real.’”
Her next-door neighbor’s surveillance video shows the two suspects walking away while their hands are filled with stolen decorations.
Another neighbor who was also victimized said the theft, especially during the holidays, is upsetting.
“It hurts,” said Ashley Weaver, whose decorations were stolen. “It’s sad.”
Weaver’s family is new to the neighborhood and has only lived on the street for five months.
“We love Christmas and having a kid makes it even better,” Weaver said.
She said decorating for the holiday season with her 10-month-old son was a special time. She invested in a giant LED inflatable of Santa and a reindeer.
After the thieves stole her inflatable, Weaver decided to remove another large decoration she had — an 8-foot holiday lamp post — into her garage for safety.
“It just sucks,” she said. “Buy your own stuff. Let people have their Christmas and show their Christmas spirit in their own way.”
Neighbors on the street remain concerned and angry at the targeted theft.
“People work hard for these things,” Weaver said. “They’re not cheap.”
For Falcon, she has since purchased a new lawn decoration and said she refuses to let the thieves take the fun out of her holiday festivities.
“We’re going to get past this,” Falcon said. “We’re going to put up another one.”
The victims said they’ve been monitoring resale sites to see if the suspects will attempt to sell the stolen decorations.