Chicago — Chicago police are looking for the man who stole a Salvation Army bellringer’s donation bucket in the Loop on Friday afternoon. It’s not the first time criminals have targeted the charity’s holiday donation drives.
The bellringer flagged down a Chicago police unit around 4:35 p.m. and reported that someone stole his donation bucket from the corner of State and Randolph streets and fled in a car.
About $400 was believed to be inside the stolen bucket, according to a Salvation Army news release, which said the thief had to cut a lock to get it. The bellringer was reportedly on break at the time of the theft.
A thief stole a Salvation Army bucket and the pole it was attached to from the same corner in December 2019. Police found the bucket emptied of its money and the pole in an alley about a block away. Officers reviewed surveillance video and recognized the thief as one of the Loop’s ubiquitous “bucket boy” musicians. Charges were filed.
Another bucket was stolen in December 2019 from the 600 block of North Michigan Avenue, but no arrests were ever announced in that case.
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