Alameda police save the day for girl with cancer after theft

ALAMEDA, Calif. - A thief attempted to steal a young girl’s dreams of being a superhero in Alameda, but actual heroes stepped in to save the day.

Surveillance footage captured a man in July stealing a HelloFresh meal-kit package from Molly Laufer's home.

Laufer later discovered the alleged thief had also made off with a second package containing a special Wonder Woman-themed item from Etsy.

Laufer, whose 3-year-old daughter was diagnosed with thyroid cancer the previous month, had ordered the custom T-shirt for her.

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Footage from Laufer's doorbell camera showed Alameda Police Officer Hung Nguyen stopping by on the day of the theft and telling her, "I have some bad news."

The officer said a neighbor had found empty packages nearby.

"I realized, oh my gosh, that T-shirt had been delivered. So then I started crying in front of the police officer," she recalled.

Laufer was emotional as the family was set to visit Philadelphia in a couple of weeks so her daughter, Charlie, could begin her cancer treatment.

"And so I was really angry about the logistics and just like one more thing I had to figure out. I was really upset about the T-shirt," Laufer said.

The officer was upset too. 

"He kept saying, ‘Oh no,no, this isn’t right,’ Laufer said.

Alameda police patch that read "junior police," evidence bags, and cards signed by members of the police department.

The following day, Nguyen and others, delivered gifts to Laufer's family, including an Alameda "junior police" patch, evidence bags, and cards signed by members of the police department.

Officers later delivered a replacement pink Wonder Woman T-shirt to Charlie.

The family also received more replacement shirts from Christopher Tam, owner of All Good Living in Alameda.

"My father was an educator in Alameda who passed away from cancer, and so I felt really bad about the situation," Tam said.

Alameda police quickly recognized the thief from the surveillance footage as the same suspect accused of stealing four times from the Old Navy at Southshore Center and from the Gap on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland.

"Oftentimes we run into people who are in situations that, through no fault of their own, find themselves in, and the best we can do is try to uplift them for that moment," said Alameda Police Lt. Alan Kuboyama.

"The response from the Alameda Police Department was one of the most touching responses that we’ve had since this diagnosis," said Laufer.

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.