EAST ELMHURST — A "Grinch" busted for allegedly stealing packages after they were delivered to Queens porches told police he took them because he couldn't find work and it was Christmas, according to the district attorney.
Frank Garcia, 26, was seen taking packages left on doorsteps on 47th Avenue in Astoria, putting them in a blue push cart and walking away, police said.
He brought the boxes back to his East Elmhurst apartment building without knowing what was inside, the criminal complaint said.
The packages contained 10 curtains, two bottles of lotion, a pair of pants, a purse, a Bluetooth speaker and a bottle of soap, the DA said.
When he was arrested, Garcia allegedly told police he swiped them "because he was out of work and it was Christmas," according to the criminal complaint.
DA Richard Brown said his actions were straight out of a movie.
"When people place mail orders, they do not expect their delivered packages to be brazenly stolen off their doorstep by somebody acting like the Dr. Seuss’ character in the book, How The Grinch Stole Christmas!," he said in a statement.
Garcia is awaiting arraignment and is charged with four counts of petit larceny and four counts of criminal possession of stolen property. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted, police said.
