Transforming their home into a free community haunted house has been a 20-year-tradition for a San Leandro family — but recent thefts of expensive decorations have put a damper on their Halloween spirit.
"Well he was right here," homeowner D.W. Nutting told CBS News Bay Area.
He said that two of their animatronics have been stolen off their lawn recently.
"Like a lot of the props, they discontinue. So, we're not able to find him anymore," he said.
Nutting estimated their loss to be about $700 total for both stolen animatronics.
This isn't the first time they have fallen victim to thieves during the Halloween season. Last year, another decoration theft was caught on video.
"It was a mannequin type of guy and he was on the lawn. And we had it on camera, someone ran onto the lawn in the wee hours in a pickup truck on the lawn, snatched the whole thing," he said of last year's theft.
Since the incident, his family has increased security and started an online fundraiser. The community has already pitched in more than $1,400 to go towards more props.
"Come, observe. Look, touch, but don't take. We got to store it, reuse it, just so we can keep it going every year," Marisol Rico, Nutting's sister-in-law told CBS News Bay Area. "We would hate to have to shut it down because people keep taking all the stuff that we either build, put together, reuse and that stuff."
Meanwhile, Nutting said he and his family will keep working to complete their haunted house this year despite the thefts.
"We can only hope that wherever he is now, he's bringing some kind of joy where he is," Nutting said of the stolen animatronic.
He added that the haunted house has about 15 people working to keep the tradition going, including extended family and school friends of his children.
"It's a labor of love. We do it for the community. we never charge, it's a full walkthrough for whoever wants to come," Nutting said. "So, we definitely are disheartened when things like this happen."
