Law enforcement wants you to be on the lookout for a thief who’s stealing from Bay area McDonald’s restaurants. He isn’t stealing Big Macs or those famous French fries, though.
What You Need To Know
- A thief is stealing donation boxes from Bay area McDonald’s
- The money in those boxes helps fun Ronald McDonald House
- Restaurants have now removed the boxes, but donations can be made here
Authorities say the thief is stealing the donation boxes that help sick children and their families at the Ronald McDonald House.
The crimes were captured on surveillance video, and officials say they show the man pulling a set of bolt cutters from his pants to cut the lock on the box. The video then shows the man cover the donation box with his jacket, take the box outside the restaurant.
Law enforcement says the thief is striking during daylight — at non-peak hours — when there’s less foot traffic in the lobbies, and he’s getting away on a red motorcycle.
Some of the restaurants that have been targeted are owned by the Caspers Company.
“The thief who’s doing this is not stealing from McDonalds,” said Dustin Portillo, a community relations representative for Caspers Company. “He’s stealing from that 9-year-old kid who’s going through leukemia treatment, and his parents are staying at the Ronald McDonald house free of charge. So this money is being stolen from those families.”
Normally, the 200 donation boxes inside different Bay area McDonalds restaurants raise around $150,000 annually for the charity. But since the pandemic, donations have slowed down. Portillo says the thief likely didn’t make off with much money.
“He stole from close to ten locations now. If he was getting 10 bucks out of that, a hundred dollars, a hundred buck goes a long way. It cost $70 a night for a family to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. So that’s one family that’s now not gonna benefit from that,” Portillo explained.
Most of the restaurants have removed the donation boxes from their lobby, fearing the thief will return. So, anyone who wants to donate to Ronald McDonald House will have to visit the organization’s website.
There’s now a $5,000 reward for tips the lead to the arrest of the suspect. Contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477). You can remain anonymous.