Surveillance video shows a man taking Christmas lights from a front yard on Darlington Avenue Monday night. It has some residents calling it a real-life "Grinch Stole Christmas" story.
The family who lives in the home did not want to talk on camera, but they say they sent the video to community advocate Michael Reilly. He posted the footage on Facebook, and it now has more than 90,000 views and hundreds of comments.
"I think it highlights some of the concerns that we have not only on Staten Island but everywhere. You cannot put out some nice things anymore. This has been going on for years. Myself, I had one of my railings stolen," said Mike Reilly, President of the Community Education Council.
But like the Grinch character, the thief allegedly had a change of heart. The family says the man returned the lights Tuesday afternoon, leaving a note at the door apologizing for his actions.
It read, in part, "I am not the person you see on the video. I was not thinking when I did it. This was the first and last time I will ever do this."
Reilly says he has seen more of these incidents in the recent years during the holiday season. He says the thieves should be held accountable.
"They are willing to stoop this low. They should be shamed. The public should see who they are. They should be embarrassed," Reilly added.
A family member has since posted on Facebook, saying, "words really can’t describe how humbled and honored we are to live in a community where people genuinely care about their neighbors." They say they want to put the incident behind them.