Couple perturbed by single-gloved beanbag thief

A "creepy" thief has been captured on camera stealing a family's beanbag with clinical professionalism. The man, wearing a single glove and a knee-length overcoat, was caught on camera sneaking into the property in Kilbirnie, Wellington, New Zealand, at 3.30am on Thursday.



Footage shows the man unlocking the latch on the gate before slipping in and picking up a black and white chevron-patterned beanbag. The man then makes off with the item without a backward glance. The owners of the property, who want to be known by their first names, Jason and Abby, said they were surprised by the sophisticated nature of the attack. "He was a professional, he was definitely a professional.

"It wasn't kids walking home drunk, he had a hood on, one glove to open the gate," Abby said. "It was pretty obvious he knew what he wanted." She said they couldn't see a beanbag getaway vehicle in the background, so the thief must have walked down the street with it. "It's really cumbersome, it's huge, a really conspicuous thing to be walking down the street with in the middle of the night." Jason described the man as "really creepy". "I thought it was very bizarre. Men don't tend to wear long coats like that."



The beanbag was worth about $150 and was their oldest son Axel's 2014 Christmas present. Jason said they happened to have home security cameras at the property because he was into technology and gadgets. The couple said while they did feel a bit "vulnerable" after the theft, they weren't afraid. "I don't think someone stealing a beanbag poses that much of a threat," they reasoned. The couple hadn't yet been to police, but hoped someone might recognise the man in the footage.

With news video.