FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A shoplifter was caught in the act inside a Fort Lauderdale T.J. Maxx store as stunned customers watched it happen.
Local 10 News was there Tuesday night when the man returned to the scene and gave back the stolen goods.
Ashlee Reyher said she was shopping at the T.J. Maxx off Cordova Road Tuesday afternoon when 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.
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The man then walked away.
“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.
According to Fort Lauderdale police Detective Ali Adamson, no calls for service were made Tuesday afternoon at the store’s location, however a passerby did call police at 7:53 p.m. to report an attempted shoplifting incident.
She said the caller, however, didn’t provide any further information and did not want to be involved.
According to Adamson, no one from T.J. Maxx reported the incident.
T.J. Maxx sent a statement to Local 10 News on Wednesday, which you can read here:
“While we would not share specific details, there are many ways we work to reduce theft, including a variety of policies, trainings, procedures, and technology. We are aware of the incident that took place at our TJ Maxx store in Fort Lauderdale yesterday. We take it seriously and are cooperating with the Fort Lauderdale Police Department. As this is now a matter of law enforcement, we respectfully defer comment to the police.”
Local 10 viewers can also read this story in Spanish by clicking here.