Alleged car break-in and passport theft at NW Harris Co. park strands couple: ‘We can’t travel’

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — A couple visiting from Sri Lanka is unable to leave the country after their passports were stolen at a park in northwest Harris County.

Thusitha Wickramarachichi said his parents were visiting him and his 16-month-old daughter. “They were excited, and we were planning some cruises and all that,” he said.

However, their plans came to an abrupt halt on Saturday. While his parents were watching him play cricket at Matzke Park near Jones and Grant roads, a thief broke into his truck and stole a purse containing their passports.

“I usually check with them to see if they have their passports in their bags, but that day, I did not,” Wickramarachichi said.

Surveillance cameras from a car parked next to his truck captured the theft. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office indicated that the footage might help track down the thief.

The video shows a man in orange sneakers and an orange shirt exiting the backseat of a black car. He crouches down, approaches the truck, and appears to use a tool to break the window. “It took only five seconds,” Wickramarachichi noted.

A witness provided with surveillance video footage showing the person accused of breaking into the vehicle and stealing the passports in a bag at Matzke Park on June 1, 2024.

Without passports, his parents are unable to leave the country. They are now waiting for documents from Sri Lanka to begin the process of applying for new passports, which Wickramarachichi said will take four months. “Now we can’t do cruises, we can’t travel, none of that,” he said. They also won’t be able to make their July flight home.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the video is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.