Staff Asks for Return of $1,000 Bird Taken From Pet Store

A pet store in New Jersey is asking for help tracking down a woman who allegedly walked away with a bird that cost $1,000. Video from Value Pet Center in Pennsauken shows the woman walking into the store and taking an interest in a sun conure. While she was holding the bird, employee Elvin Polanco says the store got busy and the staff got distracted. They assumed and hoped she would put it back in the cage before she left. Inside Edition Digital’s Mara Montalbano has more.

[@8BitLatinGamer]

Store employees need to protect these animals a lot more. Never leave them alone with a supposed customer.

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

She’s probably protecting it

[@TheRealPotato]

​@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen🤡

[@cashflowfamOC]

As a store owner its sad we cant trust the customer we serve.

[@mitsuri3096]

I say shes saving it

[@pitbull7885]

I agree!!!!

[@rand0mness477]

Oh, she screwed up. That's over the amount she's allowed to steal.

[@akenjah]

If $50 less it would be legal 🤣

[@truthbefacts]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@ombra711]

​@@akenjahwow, you're good at 2nd grade math.😒

[@randybradley4151]

@@ombra711 I guess you cannot comprehend that it's grand theft and the charge/jail time will be worse than if the bird was $950 the thief would get a lesser charge.

[@LigmaBawls457]

💀🤣🤣🤣

[@NoOneHere2Day]

Why wouldn't they press charges? That's why these people do what they do because they have no consequences.

[@andrewwilson5686]

Bc it's a damn headache.

[@irgendeinname9256]

They want it the easy way

[@PyroMikeHell]

Legal Action won't re-alive the bird if the person can't care for it properly, also it is a pain in the butt to actually collect repayment for damages in a time frame that is worth it.

[@jay__atx9191]

Cause it might scare her away and she might not come And once they grab her they probably will press charges

[@ravenc4912]

Democrat state

[@nadinesmith-jensen7732]

Holding somebody accountable is something that this society is missing. The theft was over $1000, And she needs to be held accountable.

[@LookupUnited24akaU24toHELP]

It is and she does.

[@ris8961]

It honestly baffles me that in America you need something like $1k before your actions become accountable. . In my country if you steal something more than $400, you get 12 years in prison. . You think that is too harsh? Yeah it is harsh, but it stops people from actually stealing in the first place! It's not too hard to understand, make the punishment harsh and people will not do it!!

[@faitheastman7422]

Somebody’s gonna recognize her

[@nickauclair1477]

"We don't want to press any charges ".... but let the D.A. decide what they want to do.

[@vickiefinney6073]

Oh yes, the DA can press charges even if you don't

[@JIBtacos]

They should totally press charges. She's a no good thief. She needs to be punished.

[@MattyIcecubes]

​@@vickiefinney6073And they will. The value of the bird makes this a felony theft case.

[@bobbiusshadow6985]

Need to arrest her first, for a DA to press charge.. but that would be totally on the pet store if they want to escalate thing to that level or just want her to bring the bird back, "no questions asked".

[@AfraidMonsters]

"we don't wanna press any charges." lol!! if it was a man you would! idhthihc employees.

[@niiloalexander9520]

She should be charged and placed under the bird kidnapping list

[@kristinastan6939]

Yes.

[@WaitingtoHit]

There’s a bird-kidnapping list?

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

​@@WaitingtoHit Yeah, it's a list beside the Cereal killers 😂

[@lycrowkurato]

That lady: Hi do you sell any bird seeds. Employee after seeing this video: We do ( Proceeds to call the police )

[@wackyracky4605]

These poor animals, why on earth would people do this kind of stuff!

[@Ebolachicken]

Yeah i don't get why people sell them let them be in their natural habitat

[@MrTickles445]

He was in a pet store bro, now he has a home

[@tshaffer9681]

It's because most of society is morally sick and selfish.

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

Never know she might have the right supplies at home

[@AxeroMyBeloved]

Most pet stores treat animals cruelly. At least this bird has a home now. And also it didn't seem like the bird had a mate. Birds need a mate to live/survive.

[@LTDanglen]

Call Ace Ventura

[@Ajpr2]

Snowflake?

[@cashflowfamOC]

As a store owner that's been robbed 2 times in the last month I feel your pain. At the end of the day just feel like the thefts have more rights then business owners. I hope the store owner gets some justice.

[@triciac1019]

So many of us agree with you!

[@athenaronaegaming1052]

So sorry 😢

[@fractal4284]

that bird is going to die they require a lot more care than a cat and dog. if she can't afford the bird she definitely can't afford the cage because of their expensive too especially for one that big

[@HoomanPlays]

Or she'll release it after she realizes the thing squawks very loud and very often.

[@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen]

I would let it free

[@fajarkurniawan9434]

the bird is dinner

[@3mPeRaToR]

@@Allmenshouldrespectallwomen So you want to kill the bird, that's a tropical bird, it's going to d... In NJ

[@caos024]

​@HoomanPlays that's what I'm saying. Thing can literally give you a headache. 😂

[@HoomanPlays]

If you're not prepared to buy a parrot, you're not prepared to own one. People literally give parrots away all the time because they can't handle the noise. No I'm not talking about a parrot saying words/sentences. I'm talking about the ear piercing squawks that never stop, and this type of parrot is very loud though not as loud as my Cockatoo for instance.

[@MsRotorwings]

The noise, the mess, the hours a day of attention they require…all not taken into consideration. Some people who steal will steal things they don’t need, want, or can car for…because they’ve gotten so used to stealing that they’ve gotten addicted to the thrill.

[@andree-annetrudel3949]

I love my Green Cheek Conure, he's 18, been with me since he's 6. He will probably be the last bird allowed in my house. It's a HUGE commitment and he's like a perpetual toddler, tantrum included. Yes, he's funny and cute. Yes, it's nice when he wants to cuddle and he's gentle and sweet. It's not cute when he bites and draw blood because he's done being gentle and sweet. It's not cute when he wants attention while I'm busy with chores and scream for hours. It's not cute when I need to travel and find someone to take care of him, because he doesn't trust people easily and he's aggressive. It's not cute to have birb poop everywhere in the house, because he poops 2-3 times per hour. I always have the ''poop rag'' close by, but I will find surprise poop everyday. He's what I call a cute pain in the ass.

[@lindalue4504]

She going to sell it .

[@richardcano1824]

Not sure what that has to do with affording a parrot. I figured you meant like buying the parrot food or it’s medical bills but then you talked about the noise lol

[@HoomanPlays]

@@richardcano1824 Do you know the phrase drive it like you stole it? When you spend money on something you tend to care for it more than if you were just given it for free or found it. If you didn't put in the work to get the bird, you're probably not going to put in the work to take care of it.

[@kellycuckoo3143]

That is such a ridiculous amount! I paid $375 for my conure. Price gouging to the fullest extent.

[@hgfku-tn6hb]

Something very wrong with people these days

[@Ebolachicken]

yeah they sell poor animals

[@brianwatkins6955]

Yeah they make dumb comments about selling animals

[@trevorjensen2706]

It depends on the person.

[@orangebeagle3068]

Always has been.

[@SUGAR_XYLER]

​@@brianwatkins6955 Creatures shouldn't be for sale, that's the lowest 🤨

[@denverphoenix2147]

How can you just go and steal a bird? So tired of human beings smh.

[@irgendeinname9256]

We ain't all like that

[@denverphoenix2147]

@@irgendeinname9256 well than I'm not talking to you

[@irgendeinname9256]

@@denverphoenix2147 human beings is a whole species💀

[@denverphoenix2147]

@@irgendeinname9256 go be smart somewhere else. 🙋🏾

[@xoxojustno6971]

​@@irgendeinname9256bruh you know what they mean shut up and stop victimizing urself

[@hefireymilhim6151]

At least they didn’t blur the face

[@irmz5372]

Right, I’m shocked by the quality of this video 😂

[@rckyrick7425]

1k for a bird should be the real story

[@UlexiteTVStoneLexite]

That's pretty normal.

[@hazeleyezluv]

Exactly what I said

[@sleepingbeauty229]

Thats a felony

[@pepposano4200]

$1k for a sun conure???? I paid $200 for mine.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

exactly as if it's 1000 dollars ridiculous.

[@user-nc6xc6sc8k]

It’s probably hand fed and tame so worth more (or very sick) for it to be held like that

[@SoCalAdventurer19]

I hope that beautiful bird gets recovered and that disgusting disgrace of a person get thrown in jail for her crime !

[@ApersonontheinternetIdontknow]

Who knows maybe she’s taking care of the bird really good

[@greggreg2263]

I hope she’s taking good care of that bird🙏

[@earthsigngoddess]

I already know she is not equipped enough to take proper care of that bird, someone plz save that poor bird!

[@timeout...4nva]

Her neighbor sees this story and hears that bird squawking . . . all hours of the night . . might be a giveaway

[@LookupUnited24akaU24toHELP]

How can anyone think it's remotely ok to walk out of any store without paying for the items they have?

[@-.._.-_...-_.._-..__..._.-.-.-]

Imagine aliens took over the world and treated humans the same way we have been treating animals. One of the things they do is breed humans and sell the children as pets to other aliens. They have pet stores full of caged children (essentially human trafficing). In that scenario, how would you feel about an alien stealing a child from one of these stores? Would you say the thief was morally wrong, that they should have bought the child instead to support to the industry?

[@bribee1346]

It took until the end of the day for them to realize the bird was missing? What time did the lady walk out cus it kinda seems like a case of animal neglect on the employees’ parts - not checking the safety and well being of the animals in their care on a regular basis

[@brandyjohn]

This is obviously standard behavior for this female. She was comfortable stealing from this store.

[@368Cairo]

Taking a pet with malicious intent should be considered animal cruelty, to me it’s not different than kidnapping, taking advantage of such pure creatures should be punished with at least 3 months in jail.

[@MaMa3Wheels]

She has no shoes.

[@annablack4599]

No shoes!

[@blueskysailing]

I saw that too. Who goes shopping barefooted?? 🙁

[@Stef0227]

That what I thought at first but she’s just wearing nude colored slippers that blend in with her skin

[@irgendeinname9256]

​@@blueskysailing bird thieves?

[@laurac660]

That is why she stole the bird to sell it, so she can then buy shoes.

[@francis-kp9cw]

<a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="24">0:24</a> She should go to jail

[@irgendeinname9256]

It's just a bird

[@TryNotToLie]

@@irgendeinname9256 yes but if she can't buy it she probably can't afford its expenses and they can't even check if she has all the requirements for owning one

[@irgendeinname9256]

@@TryNotToLie still probably gets treated better than the birds ending up on my plate

[@panzershrekt]

Edgy

[@UltraGreenNo.57]

Ah yes its probably a species with only 10,000 pairs on earth, but who cares anyways. 😊☝

[@DarKKnightt07]

The employee who let her hold the bird should fired cause he left her unattended with the bird, it was a crime of opportunity.

[@eve2099]

I agree 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@thesunisbright]

im very worried about the bird please find him. and then put here in jail.

[@SSS20025]

​@@Cajj04IraqTQbruh it's a parrot

[@argus406]

​@@Cajj04IraqTQ bro got the whole squad laughing

[@durrrrl3435]

@@Cajj04IraqTQI think it’s non canary!😂

[@caos024]

Lol. Shes going to regret stealing that bird. It can be so freaking annoying with all the yelling it does. I have one and sometimes it gives me headache.

[@TheRealWinser]

$1000 for a sun conure is crazy. I used to see those in classifieds going for $100.

[@Tenzy7515]

Free the birds from captivity.

[@stephenking5852]

She didn’t even try to hide her face. If you’re gonna do the wrong thing, at least do it the right way.🤦🏻‍♂️

[@williams8953]

That's not a thousand dollar bird it's about 400 on a good day

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

Exactly glad someone is calling out that absurdity.

[@Andyband668]

Why did you leave her alone with it then…

[@just_janen_1196]

That's a good looking bird, lovely spring colours

[@maileevyne5000]

The insurance company is probably going to value it at $200. 😂

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

They usually sell for like 400 dollars and that's at an overpriced chain petstore. 1000 dollars practically insurance fraud. That's like claiming a hamster is 200 dollars.

[@dosdont]

It's like these sickos think they're invisible.

[@Robynzmuzik2012]

He was so foolish to let a customer hold the bird. They can catch diseases from handling.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

A Sun Conure for 1000 dollars? As if lol. Next a stolen hamster that was 200 dollars haha

[@cyanconure]

To be fair it’s an endangered species, extremely intelligent, and it lives for 30+ years. Don’t think a hamster that’ll lives its entire lifespan two months compares to its value.

[@DarkZerol]

Depends on the species. Boa constrictor for example can easily fetch up to thousands of dollars in most places.

[@randomrazr]

the police dont have any sort of software to help identify this cow even with clear video footage?

[@RyTI158]

Sheesh bro poor bird

[@butterflyblue7761]

💔💔💔💔💔 Such a nice, sweet bird. The video shows it.

[@javiruiz8365]

Right! He should not be in a pet store! Completely agree with you

[@chris1298100]

She sitting at home right now wondering if her whole life is gonna be over now for stealing a bird

[@kreazea]

when the video showed her by the door looking around, I couldn't help focusing on the white car with no number plate in front of the store

[@pinkdiamond8565]

Why would they leave her with it?

[@lavenderflowersfall280]

"we just want the bird back, we don't want to press charges." Narrator: the pet store has filed a report and is asking the public to help find the woman.

[@robinlinton0]

You got a really good video of her, so it shouldn't take long for someone to recognize her.

[@BeccaHetrick]

While this woman is utterly disgusting for stealing an animal, the employee shouldn't have walked away while she was still holding the bird...

[@roundstone5965]

"Family of bird asks pet store to return bird to the forest"

[@pat0653]

They won't press charges...

[@joannebeauchamp1169]

The store employees were severely negligent in not keeping a closer watch on the precious bird…👎🏿👎🏿

[@HowToChangeName]

Stop using alleged, she got caughr on camera

[@stl-ramsgurl8251]

New policy for stores "insert ID for entry which is returned when you leave"

[@SuperStarWarsFan1138]

$1,000 for a bird? Yikes.

[@WaterspoutsOfTheDeep]

MASSIVELY inflated price like by 3 times what they normally go for

[@pitbull7885]

That's a clear photo of her someone will snitch her out!!!!!

[@icedoutofficial8014]

First of all, that probably is too much for a bird

[@Ky_Grey95]

She shouldn't be that hard to find

[@BizzaroBrainBoi]

jokes on her when this birds starts squawking

[@PsychHyperfocus]

They need to press charges and not drop the soap

[@440SPN]

Make Accountability Great Again

[@EbikeAdventuresSD]

By locking Trump up

[@EbikeAdventuresSD]

The only thing l America’s ever been in was forced labor and low test scores. FACTS

[@JbombTheGreat]

Criminals often neglect to plan ahead when they get tattoos. Those tattoos will make it so much easier to identify you!

[@mischa6688]

She eats a lot but she steals.

[@matsudacx9]

Staff negligence.

[@manuelrosario2107]

The store needs to take responsibility. You guys were careless and let a customer hold "expensive merchandise" unsupervised. This lady isnt innocent, but i can promise you this bird is in a better place getting love and affection. Its not right to steal. It also isnt right what the store did. All of your stores drama was preventable. Fire your employee and take the loss like a business should.

[@DJ_CYBER_Drolf]

The look on her face at <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="6">0:06</a> says it all. Spoiled, uncaring and would do anything to get what she wants. I bet she stole the parrot to either keep it all to herself. Or to sell it for lots of cash

[@PennyMsElite]

Or she has a pet snake

[@DoktorMyth]

The audacity to steal such an innocent *birb*

[@catfeatherss]

Since when is a sun conure $1000?

[@CristySFM1234]

Ngl she looks like my upstairs neighbor who conveniently has a history of stealing (its not her as far as i can tell)

[@Fallen012332]

$1000 bird who the hell is stupid enough to pay $1000 for a bird😂😂😂😂😂

[@ericawilson5856]

She don’t even have on shoes I wouldn’t let her see 😂the 🦜 bird😮

[@SanFernandoValleyRose]

I have a cockatiel I paid $250 for but they also have sun conures that cost about $350 cheaper than the one in New Jersey. My pet store has been in business for 45 years too.

[@440SPN]

Sick 😷

[@SixLeafCloverOFire]

Me with birds.

[@jodiriis]

Hopefully she loves the bird and gives him a good home he deserves. His vet bills will be expensive someday, so hopefully she’ll be able to come up with the money for that.

[@SlikGridYT]

imagine she comes back with a replica version that cost 10 dollars💀

[@mitsuri3096]

Took them all day so i dont think nither deserve it

[@JRKonungrinn]

WOW, staff negligence. Who the hell would expect a customer to put the bird back in the cage by themselves alone? What if they did but they didn't latch the door correctly? She should have been watched the whole time, or informed that it's been a certain amount of time so the bird will have to go back in its cage now, if the employee needed to step away. WTF were they thinking?

[@chriss6837]

The cops shouldn't even look for the bird. They dont want to press charges.

[@InkHyaena]

Swear to god if she stole the bird, only to try to release it in the wild...

[@cyanconure]

Not too far fetched, there’s a lot of dumbasses who think a tropical parrot from halfway across the world can survive in Northeastern USA. I pray for that poor babies safety.

[@InkHyaena]

@@cyanconure Yeah, that was my first thought. Really hope the poor bird is okay

[@durrrrl3435]

If she does release it, it will be walking everywhere, because it can’t fly!🤣

[@ryanjamesformayor]

Ya done ✔️

[@natari2919]

now i see why the pet stores around my area won't let you hold the animals, they use "COVID" as an excuse.

[@Cappellano]

Why did they leave her with the bird in the first place? And how did they only notice it was missing at the end of the day? When the store became busy they should have put the bird back themselves. It’s their job after all. Ironically, she may take better care of the bird than the employees.

[@problemisme]

Hero! She rescue the bird!

[@TryNotToLie]

I feel so bad for the bird because she could've just let it fly away (it's not native to the USA so it could be killed by predators or by traffic), killed it, hurt it, etc. Literally so many things could've gone wrong for the poor bird.

[@guepardo8648]

A bird in hand...better than two in the bush.

[@rahulminhas7882]

Poor bird…. As you eat your chicken burger

[@TheRealPotato]

Chicken is good.

[@cyanconure]

That’s a tropical parrot. Not a domesticated fowl bred for food. That’s like getting mad people care for a pet dog being hurt after eating some bacon. Two completely different animals.

[@hazeleyezluv]

Store charges $1000 for a bird that belongs outside a cage. Humans.

[@beverlyjordan6148]

Bird was probably like man I was locked up, this crazy lady got me out. Now I’m free, that was a close call.

[@laurac660]

She probably stole it to sell it.

[@amyahlquist3436]

They might not press charges but the cops will still arrest her.

[@apemancommeth8087]

Imagine the embarrassment of knowing your caught and every time you try to forget about it, the bird just stares at you from across the room and makes a playful noise 😂

[@cjsmith8280]

Fly high free bird yeah!

[@michaelshapiro1543]

Can you imagine digging thru mountains of advertising just to read some news?

[@courtnieweatherford124]

1000 for a sun concure? She probably did it a favor.

[@lauranolastnamegiven3385]

"Value"? a $1000 bird?

[@snickerswo1f519]

I thought she was barefoot😂

[@eightchickens]

Maybe she's freeing the bird. Yea, no. Stealing is stealing.

[@ariadnefrolich7243]

Pretty sure New Jersey isn't the native habitat of that parrot. Never release a store bought pet into the wild, as it will either die or become an invasive species that will wreck havoc on the local ecosystem. (I know you were being sarcastic with that first sentence, but people really do this thinking they're helping the animals.)

[@Deuteromis]

Shouldn't be hard to find her since the video quality is pretty good.

[@mr.america9806]

Taken ❌ Stolen✅