San Leandro Family's Halloween Display Targeted by Thieves for Second Consecutive Year
A beloved community Halloween attraction in the Bay Area has been hit by thieves, prompting a GoFundMe to replace stolen decorations.
A San Leandro family's elaborate animatronic Halloween display has fallen victim to thieves for the second year in a row, disrupting a 20-year tradition. The Nutting family, known in their Bay Area neighborhood for their free haunted walkthrough, discovered this October that their decorations had been stolen.
DW Nutting described the experience as "disheartening for my children, who put a lot of work into it." Last year, security footage captured a thief snatching decorations from the property. Nutting told KRON4 that at the time, the incident was "kind of hilarious because it was the first time we experienced something like that." However, this year, the family did not have security cameras set up.
"These things aren’t free. We leave it out here trusting the community," Nutting added.
Mary Alvarez, a family member, has launched a GoFundMe to help replace the stolen items. "Every year, we transform our home into a completely FREE haunted walkthrough for our community," Alvarez wrote on the fundraising page. "We love giving local kids and families a fun Halloween experience, especially those who may not be able to afford other haunted attractions."
Alvarez explained that the family selects a different theme each year and adds new decorations to their collection. "We don’t want the theft to take away a 20-year tradition that has brought our family and community so much joy," she wrote.
The GoFundMe had raised $200 of its $900 goal as of Thursday afternoon. Despite the setback, the Nutting family remains determined to continue their tradition and plans to open their haunted house on October 31 as scheduled.
