What was meant to be a season of generosity and goodwill instead became a string of police investigations across several states after holiday donations, carolers and even Christmas trees were targeted in crimes that stunned communities ahead of the holidays.
In Suffolk County, police are searching for suspects who made off with hundreds of toys that had been collected for children in need, leaving behind damaged donations and volunteers trying to recover from what they described as an overwhelming loss.
The theft occurred at a warehouse parking lot in Huntington, where pallets of toys were staged for distribution by Toys of Hope, a nonprofit organization that supports homeless and underprivileged children across New York and Long Island.
Volunteers had spent hours organizing the donated gifts, encasing them in shrink wrap and lining them up beneath tarps in the parking area.
According to the organization, this outdoor setup was the only feasible way to manage and sort the massive volume of presents before loading them onto delivery trucks.
While the method allowed for efficiency, it also left the donations exposed.
Over the weekend, thieves took advantage of the unsecured location. Pallets containing roughly 600 toys were torn apart, with shrink wrap ripped open and gifts scattered or removed entirely.
The organization estimated the stolen donations were worth approximately $50,000.
The toys that remained were not spared damage. Volunteers reported that the protective wrapping meant to shield the items from the elements had been destroyed, leaving many toys exposed to weather and dirt.
“It looked like everything was ransacked, vandalized, destroyed. I immediately could see that hundreds of toys were gone,” Toys of Hope founder Melissa Doktofsky said.
She noted that the realization set in the moment she arrived at the site. “I immediately pulled up, and I thought I was imagining things — I just started crying,” Doktofsky told The New York Post on Tuesday.
Her reaction quickly turned to heartbreak.“I was gut-punched, my heart ripped open. I could not believe what I was seeing.”
Doktofsky said the loss cut especially deep because the gifts were not generic donations.
Each toy had been selected based on individualized wish lists created by children working with case workers.
“We don’t just give random toys. We make it a very personalized experience. And these items were really specific items they thought they were getting, that they were getting from Santa and they believe in the magic of the holiday,” she noted.
As word of the theft spread, community leaders and local organizations stepped in to help replace what was taken.
The Town of Huntington and Empire Toyota announced plans to partner with the Huntington Tri-CYA to ensure families still receive gifts.
The Peter & Jeri Dejana Foundation also provided Toys of Hope with a $30,000 donation to purchase new toys.
While investigators continue to search for those responsible, police have not announced any arrests in the case.
Elsewhere, holiday traditions took a frightening turn in Annapolis, Maryland, when police say a man pointed a loaded firearm at a group of 12-year-old girls who were going door-to-door singing Christmas carols.
Anne Arundel County Police said Southern District officers responded to a reported assault in late November.
Investigators determined that three girls had been singing carols at nearby homes when they approached one residence and knocked on the door.
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According to police, the homeowner pointed a gun at the girls from inside the house, aiming it through a window. The girls ran away after seeing the weapon.
The suspect was identified as 58-year-old Paul Brian Susie. Officers located him and took him into custody without further incident.
Police said the firearm involved was a 40-caliber Glock handgun, which was later recovered.
WJZ-TV reported that charging documents show the gun was pointed at the girls from a bay window after they knocked. Police spokesperson Marc Limansky explained the seriousness of the act.
“It’s an assault because pointing a handgun at an individual is a threat of violence against that individual, a threat to their safety,” Limansky said, according to the station.
Susie admitted he was the person involved, WJZ reported, citing court records. Officers located the loaded firearm inside a safe within the home.
In addition to first- and second-degree assault charges, Susie also was charged with reckless endangerment and one count of wearing and carrying a handgun while under the influence, according to WJZ, which cited reporting from the Banner.
“Given Susie’s reckless behavior in pointing a loaded firearm at a group of nonthreatening 12-year-olds he could clearly see on his well-lit stoop, his loud and belligerent behavior during my conversation with him and his admission of consuming an alcoholic beverage,” an officer detailed Susie’s behavior in court documents.
“I know through my training, knowledge, and experience Susie was likely under the influence,” the officer wrote.
Police said Susie appeared intoxicated and belligerent during the arrest. He was released on a $10,000 unsecured bond.
In Northeast Ohio, another holiday-related crime left a family-run nursery scrambling just days before Thanksgiving.
The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after roughly 200 Christmas trees vanished from Smith Evergreen Nursery.
Owner Ian Smith told News 5 Cleveland that thieves removed cut and bundled trees from a loaded truck and nearby yard sometime late Saturday, Nov. 22, or early Sunday, Nov. 23.
Most of the missing trees were 7- to 9-foot Fraser firs. The suspects also moved the truck and took its key.
The family estimated the loss at $8,000 to $10,000 at wholesale value, with potential retail losses reaching double that amount. They have offered a $500 reward for information.
Security cameras on the property did not capture the theft. Since then, the family has repositioned cameras to eliminate blind spots.
Employees worked quickly to cut additional trees to fulfill orders for garden centers, a church and a Boy Scout troop in Cincinnati.
On the West Coast, police in Napa County took a lighter approach after recovering stolen holiday decorations from a Safeway store in American Canyon.
The American Canyon Police Department released a video showing recovered Christmas trees and wreaths, accompanied by a festive soundtrack from the Dr. Seuss classic “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.”
The video featured a Santa Claus figure as officers arrested two suspects.
Police said the Safeway store reported that 24 Christmas trees and two crates of wreaths, valued at just under $2,400, were taken from the front of the store. Surveillance footage showed the thefts occurred on Nov. 27.
According to investigators, the suspects backed an empty pickup truck to the store, loaded the decorations and drove away.
Officers later identified the suspects as Vallejo residents Kayla Daniels, 29, and Joshua Gonzales, 39.
Police served a search and arrest warrant at the suspects’ Vallejo home on Thursday.
Authorities said all of the stolen merchandise was recovered and returned to the store.
