A California couple’s wedding day turned into a nightmare after a thief stole their gift box filled with cash and checks.
George and Nadeen Farahat had just celebrated their marriage with a ceremony at a local church, followed by a reception at the Renaissance Banquet in Glendale. While they were enjoying their first dance with family and friends, an uninvited guest made off with tens of thousands of dollars in wedding gifts.
Security cameras caught the man, dressed in a suit, grabbing the box of gifts before walking out of the ballroom. The footage also showed him hanging around the reception for about 90 minutes, using the restroom, and even ordering a drink at the bar.
“As soon as we found out what happened, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped,” Nadeen told ABC 7. “I ended up sitting on the dance floor, sobbing with my friends and cousins around me.”
The thief carried the box through the venue and into a back alley, where a getaway car was waiting. George estimates that between $80,000 and $100,000 was stolen.
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“As is tradition in our culture, most people give cash or checks as gifts for the newlyweds, so there was a box containing all the envelopes, the cards, the money from family and friends who were invited,” George told KTLA.
The couple is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest. The case is currently under investigation by Glendale police.
Even with the loss, George and Nadeen are trying to focus on what went right. “We had a wonderful ceremony at our church and a really fun party with our family and friends,” George said.
Nadeen added, “Somebody said that if it rains on your wedding day, it usually means good things are to come. We’ll follow that same trend. We’re just really thankful.”
