In an unusual twist of events, a man who was filmed stealing two musical instruments from a New Jersey store has returned the items, accompanied by an apology note.
WASHINGTON — A vintage guitar shop in New Jersey recently experienced a theft when a man discreetly concealed two mandolins inside his jacket and walked out. The entire incident was captured on the store’s security cameras.
After reconsidering his actions, the man returned the stolen mandolins to Lark Street Music, along with a note expressing his regret. Store owner Buzzy Levine shared with WABC that this was only the second theft the shop had encountered since it opened in 1999 in Teaneck, New Jersey.
“He had a jacket with an enormous pocket,” Levine described. “He looked around, slipped one mandolin inside, and then, acting as if no one was watching, he took the second one and placed it on the other side.”
Following the incident, Levine notified the Teaneck Police, and footage of the theft was shared on the Lark Street Music Facebook page, quickly amassing hundreds of thousands of views.
After calling Teaneck Police, the video of the theft was posted on the Lark Street Music Facebook page and racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
Just four days later, Levine noticed a visitor who snuck in and out but this time they left something behind.
“I noticed someone opening the door, bending down, and then splitting. So I walked over there in the shopping bags there were the two mandolins. I couldn’t believe it,” Levine said.
And inside the bags, was a note. It said “Sorry I’ve been drunk. Merry Christmas. You a good man.”
Despite the apology, the man who stole the musical instruments and brought them back will likely still face charges.
In a Facebook post, the shop thanked their social media followers for getting the info out that “definitely made [the theft suspect] realize the walls were closing in.”
CNN Newsource contributed to this report
