Running from the law: Brazen package thief makes off with a TREADMILL from porch that was meant for a dad battling cancer

  • Matt Elwonger bought his dad Martin a treadmill to keep him active through cancer treatment
  • But a brazen and brawny thief stole the 66-pound package from his front porch 
  • The video of the heist was caught on security camera and he posted it online
  • Someone who saw the video spotted the abandoned package and returned it

A brawny and brazen thief stole a package containing a treadmill meant for a cancer patient from a front porch - and the whole thing was caught on security camera.

Matt Elwonger bought his dad Martin a new treadmill to keep him active while he battles bladder cancer.

But when the 66-pound package arrived to his home in Raytown, Missouri, it was quickly snatched by a thief intrigued by the size of the box.

'It just looks like furniture or something,' Elwonger told Fox 4

Matt Elwonger bought his dad a new treadmill to keep him active while he battles bladder cancer
But the package, which was intended as a Christmas gift, was quickly snatched by a thief

Matt Elwonger (left) bought his dad Martin (right) a new treadmill to keep him active while he battles bladder cancer. But when the 66-pound package arrived to his home in Raytown, Missouri, it was quickly snatched by a thief intrigued by the size of the box

Security camera footage shows the moment the thief, a woman in a blue hoodie and dark pants, runs up to the front porch, wearing only socks on her feet

She quickly wraps her arms around the package and alternates between carrying and dragging it off of the porch and down towards the road without a second glance

Security footage shows the moment the thief, a woman in a blue hoodie and dark pants, runs up to the front porch, wearing only socks on her feet.

She quickly wraps her arms around the package and alternates between carrying and dragging it off of the porch and down towards the road without a second glance. 

'When I watched her carry it out, I thought, "How heavy can that be?"' Elwonger said.

'So I looked it up. The shipping weight on Amazon is 66 pounds.'

He said he thinks that's why the woman eventually dropped it. Either that, or she realized what it was and didn't want a treadmill. 

'She opened it, and it wasn't what she wanted so she just threw it out in the street,' he explained. 

Elwonger bought the treadmill after his father's doctor told Martin to keep moving while he undergoes chemotherapy

'I worked really hard to get that for my dad,' Elwonger told Fox. 

'My brother even - a joint present from me and my brother. We all worked really hard to get it.' 

After seeing the security footage Elwonger posted it to Facebook - and was shocked by how quickly people started sharing it.  

A number of people also reached out to him to donate unused gym equipment to his father, and many said they were surprised by how brazen the woman was in taking the box in the first place

A number of people also reached out to him to donate unused gym equipment to his father, and many said they were surprised by how brazen the woman was in taking the box in the first place

Elwonger bought the treadmill as a gift for his dad, who is going through chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Martin's doctor told him to keep moving, and so Elwonger and his brother were planning on giving it to their father as a surprise gift

Elwonger bought the treadmill as a gift for his dad, who is going through chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Martin's doctor told him to keep moving, and so Elwonger and his brother were planning on giving it to their father as a surprise gift

'It hasn't even been online for 24 hours and it's been shared like 33,000 times,' he explained.

A number of people also reached out to him to donate unused gym equipment to his father, and many said they were surprised by how brazen the woman was in taking the box in the first place. 

Elwonger said that surprised him too, especially because the camera isn't well hidden. 

'It's right in plain sight, and she didn't care at all,' he said. 'She just came right up and took it.'  

The box has thankfully been returned to Elwonger - after someone saw it in the street and recognized it from the Facebook post. 

There were some rips and tears in the box, but the treadmill wasn't harmed. Elwonger got it back Wednesday night and has since assembled the machine. 

He said he looks forward to giving it to his dad for Christmas. 

Elwonger reported the incident to police - but the mystery thief has yet to be identified.  

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