Baby Jesus thief identified, decoration returned to owner, Fort Worth police say

The baby Jesus figure stolen from Sundance Square early Saturday has been returned, Fort Worth police announced Wednesday evening.

Shortly before 7 p.m., the department tweeted that the person who stole the ornament had been identified and that the decoration had been returned to the owner. The department did not release the name of the suspect.

The Sundance Square Instagram account had posted screenshots of a video showing a man walking away with the toy infant cradled in his arms and included hashtags like “#grinch,” “#grinchmas” and “#grinchy.”

“Baby Jesus Thief!” the post said. “Help us identify the man who stole baby Jesus from our Nativity in Sundance Square. Help us save Christmas. HE is the reason for the season.”

Sundance Square security filed an online report for theft of property valued between $100 and $750 just after 2:30 p.m. Saturday, according to police. The report stated that sometime between 2 and 2:20 a.m. an unknown person “took baby Jesus” from the large Nativity scene on the Sundance Plaza stage.