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CHINA GROVE, N.C. — Surveillance video making the rounds on social media appears to show a woman stealing donation jars from Gary’s BBQ in China Grove.

The video from the front counter is clear, and shows the woman walk in the front door and place a menu upright on the counter, attempting to block the view as she grabbed two donation jars and walked back out the door.

Owner Gary Ritchie said the jars were for The Red Cross, specifically for hurricane victims, and the other was for veterans of the Vietnam War.

“I asked her if she needed anything, and she said she was waiting on her family,” Ritchie explained. “I looked at her, and she had her back turned to me and then all of a sudden she turned around and picked up the two containers of money.”

He said he took off after her, but wasn’t able to catch her.

“We've never had anything happen like that in all our time we've been here,” Ritchie explained. The restaurant has been open since 1971.

The owner of Lee’s Sandwich Shop in Kannapolis told Channel 9 the same thing happened at his restaurant Thursday. For him, it was the tip jar that sits by the cash register at the front door.

“To me, it's a dirtbag of a person that could do that — I could never do that even if I was at my lowest point,” Suggs said. “They took from all the employees and that's how they pay their bills, with their tip money.”

[ALSO READ: Alleged tip jar thief dies in pond after trying to get away from officers, police say]

Channel 9 reporter Susanna Black was at Lee’s when a customer dropped off $60 in cash to replace the stolen money. Suggs said by Friday at lunch, they’d had $125 donated.

“People’s got good hearts in this town, they really do,” Suggs said.

While the owners aren’t sure they were hit by the same person, they want whoever is responsible to be caught.

“Even if it's just a dollar, it's the same as a million because you stole money from people,” Suggs said. “We’re going to get them.”

Ritchie said he’s received a flood of calls from people in the community who believe they recognize the woman.

Both restaurants filed police reports with the appropriate agencies. So far, no arrests have been made in either case.

Cox Media Group

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