Police on Long Island are looking for the man who stole a donation jar full of cash for a 12-year-old disabled girl Saturday.
The suspect is seen on surveillance footage leaning on the counter at the Wyandanch Beer Company in Wyandanch before stealing the jar, which contained between $30 and $40.
The donations were supposed to go to a 12-year-old girl named Belkis, who lives in the Dominican Republic. The grandfather of the owners of Wynandach Beer Company befriended the girl and for the last year, the beverage company has collected and sent money to the girl's mother to pay for the medicine, food and other necessities.
While the thief apparently thought no one saw him taking the charity jar, he was standing directly in front of a screen displaying the surveillance cameras that captured the theft. He's seen talking with a man at an adjacent counter before turning away and leaning back onto the counter again.
Then, he is seen reaching behind and grabbing the jar before stuffing it underneath his sweatshirt.
The store manager, who didn't want to be named while the thief was still at large, said "it was so sneaky. He wasn't even looking at it. That's why people weren't expecting it."
"Why would you do something like that?" he said. "I'm sure the girl needs the money more than you do."
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The theft outraged store customers like Earl Daniels, who said "somebody like that needs to be locked up. They don't deserve nothing good to happen to them for that."
The beverage company owners say that despite what happened, they will put out another jar, with surveillance cameras again watching it very closely.
If you know anything about the theft, contact Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
