Ring doorbell captures moment ‘thief’ strolls past front door before turning back and pinching homeowner’s plant while ‘hiding his face with his hood’
Doorbell CCTV footage captures a man casually strolling past a neatly landscaped front garden before going to the back and yanking a plant from its pot.
The bizarre clip was posted on a Facebook group for residents of Crawley in West Sussex by the vengeful homeowner.
The caption read: ‘Thank you to the man who stole our factory. We hope it makes you happy and that it dies.”
Dressed in a black puffer jacket and gray joggers, the suspected thief walks calmly past the property, which is on the edge of a wooded area in West Crawley.
Footage recorded by a Ring doorbell shows the man looking back at the house before pulling his hood over his head and heading towards his target plant.
Dressed in a black puffer jacket and gray joggers, the suspected thief hides under his hood
The man grabs the leaves and rips the plant out of the pot
Using the leaves as a handle, the man pulls the plant from the white pot and sprints away from the scene.
As he flees, the wind blows off his hood, revealing a head of blonde hair.
Residents of Crawley were stunned by the images.
Commenting on the video on Facebook, one user said: “Steal a plant. Does he really exist?’
Another said: ‘He could claim the evidence was placed there.’
A resident added: ‘Plants are expensive, he knows that of course. It’s sad that you can’t have these luxury items in front of your house, but it’s like leaving your wallet on the doorstep these days.”
Commenting on the eve of Father’s Day, one user wrote: ‘His father will be very happy with that tomorrow.’
Footage from Ring Doorbell showed the man removing the factory from a property in Crawley
The Facebook post has been viewed more than 45,000 times.
Social media users have praised the homeowner’s handling of the suspected theft, with one writing: ‘I love your attitude about it!’
Sussex Police have been contacted for comment.
