Police Hunt For Grinch That Stole Salvation Army Kettle in Oak Lawn

Instead of a gold coin dropped into a local Salvation Army kettle, the kettle itself got stolen from in front of an Oak Lawn store.

Police are searching for the person or persons responsible for swiping a Salvation Army kettle around 6 p.m. Tuesday outside the Walgreens at 6201 W. 95th St., WGN-TV reported.

The Salvation Army confirmed to WGN that the female bell ringer went inside the store to warm up or use the restroom. When she came back outside, the kettle was gone along with $400 cash.

A Salvation Army representative called the incident extremely upsetting as this is the season of giving.

The theft is similar to other Salvation Army kettle thefts reported around the country, including Houston, Spokane, WA, and Charlottesville, VA. In one case, a bell ringer was robbed at gunpoint by masked robbers.

Watch WGN’s report.