Real-life Grinch steals Christmas gifts for kids at Toys For Tots Warehouse

A thief is being dubbed the real-life Grinch after a breaking into a Toys for Tots warehouse and stealing presents meant for less-fortunate kids.

"With a heavy heart it’s hard to imagine that anyone would break into the Toys for Tots warehouse but that’s exactly what happened on Friday night," the Toys for Tots chapter in Eureka, California said in a Facebook post.

The group's video recording equipment was also stolen.

"If anyone is approached and asked to buy toys or items for a reduced price, such as girl’s blow dryers etc., please be aware they may be from our warehouse," the group wrote.

Gregg Gardiner, the local coordinator told Lost Coast Outpost that a "significant" portion of the toys donated this year had been stolen.

The Eureka Police Department did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment but Gardiner told the Outpost that the alleged thief or thieves allegedly stole a truck owned by a local engineering company, before breaking into the warehouse, removing the surveillance equipment, and then stealing the truck full of toys.

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Craig Compton, a property manager for the local engineering company Green Diamond wrote in a Facebook post that a main gate had been damaged during the break in but is now secured with a chain and a lock. Compton also added that the police department is temporarily conducting nighttime patrols of the area.

"I don’t know how many different places I saw this weekend with numerous folks volunteering for the Toys for Tots toy drive. It was quite a few. Knowing how hard all the volunteers work to make the organization successful makes the news of them being the target of theft that much harder to accept," Compton wrote.

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