Current:Home > reviewsFastexy:'Who steals trees?': Video shows man casually stealing trees from front yards in Houston -WealthRise Academy
Fastexy:'Who steals trees?': Video shows man casually stealing trees from front yards in Houston
EchoSense Quantitative Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-11 10:02:15
Stealing trees is Fastexyuncommon, so a Houston neighborhood was baffled when they discovered a random man was uprooting saplings and leaving holes in peoples' front yards.
Surveillance video from a north Houston home on Aug. 22 caught the man walking up to a random sapling in broad daylight, and then yanking the young tree until it pops out.
Moments later, once the man had yanked out the previous tree, he went for another in the same area. A security alarm scares the man off before he can take the second sapling. The security video then shows the apparent owners of the homes the man trespassed on putting the saplings back into their yards.
Watch the mysterious Houston tree thief in action
Watch:Video shows Waymo self-driving cars honking at each other at 4 a.m. in parking lot
'Like what? You stole a tree?'
A separate video obtained by ABC13 Houston captures a different angle of the man's actions, and a woman is heard asking him, "Why are you taking the tree?" The man responds, "I'm straightening it up."
Multiple holes were found in the neighborhood where trees had been stolen, the TV station reported.
"Once the, 'Somebody took my stuff' moment passed, I was like, 'Who steals trees? Like, what? You stole a tree?' I don't understand,' Kelly Kindred, a homeowner in the neighborhood, told ABC13 Houston.
Kindred would text her neighbor, Olivia Topet, who ran to try to apprehend the tree thief.
"I started running after him. I caught up with him a couple blocks away. He had put the tree in a grocery cart and then he went and he hid behind another tree that was still in the ground," Topet said, per the TV station. "I said, 'You can't steal our trees. He looked at me and said, 'I'm sorry ma'am I'll put it back,' and then he ran away.'"
'Shrubs, trees, maybe nothing is safe'
During ABC13 Houston's interview with Topet, she realized her bushes were gone.
"Shrubs, trees, maybe nothing is safe, I don't know," she told the TV station. "I feel like I scared him, but I'm 100% sure he's doing this somewhere else. Probably right now."
Homeowners in the neighborhood have not reported the tree thievery to Houston police because they do not want the man to be arrested or punished, they only want him to leave their property alone, ABC13 Houston reported.
USA TODAY contacted Houston police who are looking into reports of tree theft in the area.
veryGood! (177)
Related
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Texas Democrats’ longtime chairman steps down after big losses continue for the party
- Wildfires keep coming in bone-dry New Jersey
- Halle Bailey’s Ex DDG Defends Her Over Message About Son Halo Appearing on Livestream
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Brianna Chickenfry LaPaglia Says Ex Zach Bryan Offered Her $12 Million NDA After Their Breakup
- Meet the 2025 Grammys Best New Artist Nominees
- Scam losses worldwide this year are $1 trillion. How to protect yourself.
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- What does it mean to ‘crash out’? A look at the phrase and why it’s rising in popularity
Ranking
- How to watch new prequel series 'Dexter: Original Sin': Premiere date, cast, streaming
- Christina Hall Officially Replaces Ex Josh Hall With Ex-Husband Ant Anstead on The Flip Off
- AP VoteCast shows Trump boosted his level of support among Catholic voters
- Wife of southern Illinois judge charged in his fatal shooting, police say
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Judge strikes down Biden administration program shielding immigrant spouses from deportation
- This Southern Charm Star Just Announced Their Shocking Exit Ahead of Season 10
- Zac Taylor on why Bengals went for two-point conversion vs. Ravens: 'Came here to win'
Recommendation
Realtor group picks top 10 housing hot spots for 2025: Did your city make the list?
Mexican man gets 39 years in Michigan prison for a killing that became campaign issue
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Bronny James assigned to G League team
Ex-aide to NYC Mayor Eric Adams in plea discussions with federal prosecutors
US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
Flooding closes interstate as heavy rains soak southeast Georgia
Another Florida college taps a former state lawmaker to be its next president
Zach Bryan, Brianna 'Chickenfry' LaPaglia controversy: From Golden Globes to breakup