FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A shoplifter was caught in the act inside a Fort Lauderdale T.J. Maxx as stunned customers watched it happen.
Local 10 News was there when the man returned to the scene and gave back the stolen goods.
Ashlee Reyher was shopping at the T.J. Maxx off Cordova Road Tuesday afternoon when she said she started recording a man stuffing a suitcase with merchandise.
“The manager proceeds to come up and says, ‘Really, you’re going to do this right in front of us?’” said Reyher.
The man walked out of the store with the bag, she said.
Hours later, Local 10 News was there when the same man was in the store parking lot with a large suitcase and duffle bags, and security on his tail.
The security guard asked the man to give up the stuff, and eventually he did, handing everything over to security.
The man then walked away.
Reyher said she called the police but did not see them show up.
“I was shocked,” she said. “There were no words to describe. I was baffled.”
Local 10 reached out to Fort Lauderdale police for an update and to T.J. Maxx to see what their policy is in situations like these, and to see if they had any comment.
Neither had responded at the time of this story’s publishing.