How Cops Saved Christmas For One RivCo Family

RIVERSIDE, CA — After presents were stolen from one Riverside home, right out from beneath the tree, a handful of Riverside first responders saved the holiday for the family, authorities said Tuesday.

A single mother and her two sons returned to their apartment late on Christmas Eve to discover their home was burglarized, according to a Riverside Police Department spokesperson. They called in the burglary and shared their heartbreak with arriving officers.

"Watch A Patrol Officers responded to investigate and take a report, but also went above and beyond for this family and came up with a plan to help," The Riverside Police Department said in a news release.

Officers and dispatchers donated the money so the family’s Christmas morning wouldn’t be ruined. They returned to the scene of the burglary at 3:30 a.m., surprising the family inside with both gifts and around $700 in funds collected by the department and money for the mother and her sons.

What's more, the City of Riverside Fire Department got wind of what happened and brought over even more gifts a few hours later, according to a news release.

"We couldn’t be more proud of our officers and dispatchers here at the Riverside Police Department, along with our Riverside Fire Department," the release said. "And we promise our detectives will do everything they can to identify and find this criminal scrooge who tried to ruin Christmas in Riverside."