SAN ANTONIO — Grinches were caught on camera in a northwest side neighborhood, helping themselves to holiday decor.
One neighbor obtained security footage from multiple cameras on her street that shows people stopping in front of at least two homes to snatch Christmas inflatables.
It's a crime that happens every year around the holiday season. Authorities believe most of the criminals are stealing with the intent to resell the decorations.
"I have collected penguins and frogs from the time I was in my teenage years," said the neighbor, who interviewed with KENS 5 under condition of anonymity.
She's fresh off a first place win for her Halloween decor. After searching for the perfect Christmas decorations, she special-ordered the penguin online for $50.
Saturday, December 2, her penguin caught the eye of criminals.
Her security camera caught the action at 11:25 p.m., less than half an hour after her husband returned from an evening walk.
"You think, are you kidding me?" she explained. "Our dog was looking out the window and she was barking, but she barks at squirrels and feral cats and people walking up and down the street."
The couple watched in disbelief as a stranger strolled into their front yard and unplugged the inflatable before jumping back into a gray four-door sedan.
"I could see like three or four people in the car."
Right before they stole her penguin, surveillance footage caught the criminals trying to abduct a Santa inflatable across the street.
"[My neighbor] said, 'Well, maybe they didn't take it because it was too hard to take. I had wrapped the connection with electrician's tape to protect it from the rain,"" the woman explained, applying tape to her inflatables shortly after.
KENS 5 was asked to withhold the name of the neighborhood that's near Babcock and Hausman.
"If you take from somebody else, you must be living a miserable life," she told us. "You get back what you put out."
The woman filed a police report and reported the theft to her HOA.
She says, what could help deter crime is for neighbors to work with each other more often.
"Take pride in your community. Be part of the solution, not the problem."
A good start, she believes, is reporting suspicious activity and looking out for your fellow neighbor.
"If you've got any theft or break-ins, if [police] can track it, they can analyze that data and then be able to set up more coverage to catch the people that are doing these things," she explained. "If you see a neighbor with a package on their front porch and you know they're gone, give them a call and offer to pick it up for them so it doesn't get stolen."
Three days ago, the Culebra Park Neighborhood Association advised neighbors to be "aware and cautious" as they display Christmas decorations. They said every year, neighbors report decorations stolen in the pre-dawn hours.
Officials with the City of San Antonio are also reminding residents how to celebrate the holidays safety, with these safety tips.
Another option for the public is to train how to safely observe and report suspicious activity, through the city's Citizen on Patrol (COP) community crime watch program. Learn how to be the "eyes and ears" of the San Antonio Police Department here.