Moment thief steals presents right out from under the Christmas tree in a California home

Footage shows how a real-life Grinch stole a family's entire Christmas by stealing all their presents right under the tree.

The theft occurred Monday in the coastal town of Huntington Beach, California, and left the home's residents — both big and small — without presents.

“When I got home, our child saw what had happened and it worried him,” the homeowner said CBS News Tuesday, requesting to remain anonymous.

“I took him to the neighbors to make sure they had cleared the house and no one was home,” they added, as both the thief and the gifts are still at large.

Luckily, a security camera caught the whole ordeal, after the hooded hoodlum – in the same shade of red as the mean Whoville resident – ​​somehow got in in the middle of the day.

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Luckily, a security camera caught the whole ordeal after the hooded hoodlum – in the same red as the evil Whoville – walked in in the middle of the day.

“He broke through the glass door of the back window and was able to gain access to the back room,” the homeowner told CBS.

“I hope they find this guy,” added neighbor Mallory Maske, as police had not yet made an arrest. “My intention is to break into people's homes, ruin Christmas, not cool.

“So let's find him.”

The thief, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, spent several minutes in the house, collecting all the packages under the tree and putting them in a bag, just like his cartoon counterpart.

He also searched the homeowner's drawers and stole jewelry.

Moments after he finished, the homeowner's son returned from school and narrowly missed the robber around 2:45 p.m.

At the time, many in the wealthy neighborhood were still at home, but the thief somehow managed to escape unhindered.

However, Huntington Beach police said in a statement that they have received some tips from other residents in the area.

“He broke through the glass door of the back window and was able to gain access to the back room,” the homeowner told CBS.

The thief, believed to be in his 20s or 30s, spent several minutes in the house, collecting all the packages under the tree and putting them in a bag, just like his cartoon counterpart.

He also searched the homeowner's drawers and stole jewelry

Moments after he finished, the homeowner's son returned from school and narrowly missed the robber around 2:45 p.m.

However, Huntington Beach police said in a statement that they have received some tips from other residents in the area

“I hope they find this guy,” said neighbor Mallory Maske, as police had not yet made an arrest. “My intention is to break into people's homes, ruin Christmas, not cool. “So let's find him.”

The targeted house, meanwhile, is located a stone's throw from an elementary school and had a camera set up near the decorated tree.

It comes as police across the country have warned of a rise in parcel thefts, especially over the festive period.

Just last week, a 32-year-old porch pirate in Florida was caught on camera stealing packages from a series of homes before admitting to police that she planned to “re-gift” them at Christmas.

Last Friday, in a slightly less serious case, a toddler was caught stealing a package from a family's porch before running back to their mother and fleeing.

in August , a woman had a package stolen in Suburban Virginia – in another filmed clip that went viral after it showed the delivery man disarmed while still bringing the package to her door.

With such incidents in mind, police have alerted communities to increase precautions and ensure their homes are well secured.