Authorities in northeast Pennsylvania are on the lookout for a real-life Grinch suspected of stealing from a Toys for Tots bin in the lobby of a Comfort Inn and Suites near Mount Pocono.
Hotel manager Anthony Regan said the donations were stolen Saturday.
"How could you take from a child? The whole purpose is for children, needy children, and you don't do stuff like that. It's aggravating," Regan told WNEP.
Regan shared surveillance footage of the suspected thief. The man is seen standing by the elevator while sipping a drink and holding several boxes wrapped in hotel towels.
Jay Reke of the East Stroudsburg Marine Corps League, who oversees the Comfort Inn and Suites donation site, said: "It is very sad that someone would (do that). If they had just asked, we would have given them to them, but don't steal them. That is kind of low life."
Regan plans to keep the Toys for Tots bin in the hotel lobby. However, he's asking people dropping off donations to leave them at the front desk so they can be stored in a safe location from now on.
"There are too many hard working people contributing to this cause, and here he comes stealing from children. He is the Grinch who stole Christmas," hotel employee Alex Beach told WNEP.
The disheartening incident comes just days after Qantas Airways was likened to the Grinch for trialing an unpaid volunteer program during the busy holiday travel period.
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