A Dallas man returned from a work trip to find his apartment had been stripped bare by a burglar who stole nearly everything he owned just days before Christmas.
Aaron Pace discovered the devastating theft when he returned to his Lake Highlands apartment after helping Shake Shack open its first Oklahoma restaurant. The 20-year-old found his home in the 6900 block of Forest Lane virtually empty.
“They took, I had two TVs, a PlayStation, pretty much all of my clothing, ’cause I had a whole bunch of it packed up, ’cause I was moving. So all my clothing, a bunch of my kitchen utensils, it was pretty much anything they could get their hands on since everything was packed up. It was pretty much everything. Like the only thing I have left is my couches and bed,” Pace said, Fox 4 KDFW reported.
A neighbor’s doorbell camera captured the Wednesday 1 a.m. burglary in vivid detail. The footage shows the suspect, wearing a red robe and slippers, approaching Pace’s door, where he spots a flyer indicating no one was home.
The burglar then broke through a first-floor sliding glass door. Video shows him hauling out Pace’s belongings throughout the night.
In a stunning display of audacity, the thief returned Thursday wearing Pace’s own clothes instead of the red robe. This time, he brought a young accomplice to help carry out the remaining items.
Pace compared the suspect to a holiday villain.
“He really looked like the Grinch, too, because he was walking out with a sheet full of my items, too. ‘Cause he had actually taken one of the sheets off my bed, the fitted sheet, and put a whole bunch of items in there. And you see him carrying that out with one of my computer monitors in his hand,” he said, per Fox 4.
The victim filed a police report but hasn’t heard from detectives yet. He’s seeking community help in identifying the suspects while trying to rebuild his life.
Pace has opened a GoFundMe account detailing the items taken during the burglary. As of Tuesday, donors have contributed nearly $8,000 of the $10,000 goal.
Pace plans to purchase renters’ insurance for his next apartment. The suspects remain at large.
