Alleged wreath thief caught on camera

BOSTON, MA – A man in Boston says someone is stealing the holiday spirit.

He’s going after Christmas wreaths that many people put on their doors this time of the year.

This Grinch wore a leather jacket and red sneakers, as he walked down a sidewalk in the south end carrying two wreaths already.

“There is one in his arm and one in the bag," said Alex Tsalagas, wreath thief’s victim, referencing the video.

Tsalagas says he caught the wreath thief on his security camera.

First, the man tries to lift the wreath off his front door, but finds it tied to the hook with string.

“So he comes back a few minutes later with scissors, cuts the string, and carries the wreath away,” said Tsalagas. “Kind of like investigating around the area to see if any other people are losing their wreaths as well and a couple of people were wondering where their wreaths went.”

Unlike the Dr. Seuss character, Tsalagas believes his grinch is targeting only artificial decorations, ones that can be held onto and sold before next Christmas.

“He may have a warehouse, he may have a business somewhere with those wreaths and he knows they’re not gonna go bad,” said Tsalagas.

Tsalagas has now installed a new wreath - this time with a steel cable and padlock.

He says for him, wreaths symbolize hugs and he’s not about to let a Grinch steal his Christmas spirit.

“It’s not something that is gonna stop us from celebrating," said Tsalagas.

Tsalagas says his wreaths have been disappearing for three years.

That’s why he installed a motion-activated camera this year, which recorded the suspect.