Suspected Camera Thief Unaware He Was Sending Photos Back to Police

A bungling suspect inadvertently sent a string of photos of himself and his getaway car to the police after stealing a city-installed camera, authorities said.

Embarrassingly, the device captured several shots of the man wearing nothing but his underwear as he later sat in bed with a woman lying next to him. Investigators believe the suspect was relaxing at home after allegedly stealing the camera, and at one point the sleepy-looking, bleary-eyed man glances straight into the lens of the stolen device, which was sitting in his bedroom. The camera also captured some shots of a car believed to have been used during the crime.

Officers released the images online on Monday in the hope that somebody would be able to identify the suspect following Thursday's theft of the camera in the city of Live Oak, Texas. It didn't take long, and officers later updated their Facebook post revealing there had subsequently been an arrest in the case.

Investigating officers are likely to have been delighted to have had their job made a lot easier as they sat back and watched the images roll in. The alleged thief had stolen a "game camera," which is designed to automatically take regular pictures of its surroundings—and it continued to do so after its theft.

Several of the photos were posted on Facebook by police on Monday, with a statement reading: "The Live Oak Police Department is actively working to identify an individual who knowingly stole a city-installed game camera. Remarkably, the camera is still sending images to the police department, and it's believed the suspect is unaware of this. If you have any information to help identify this individual, please contact Detective Andrada at (210)945-1734. Your cooperation is sincerely appreciated in resolving this matter."

Later that same day, the appeal was amended with an addition: "Update: Subject has been arrested."

A separate post said: "The Live Oak Police Department appreciates all the responses from the public. Without the public we would not have been able to identify this subject. YOU make the difference and we thank you."

A media release added: "The suspect was identified and later taken into custody by [San Antonio Police Department] SAPD for unrelated charges. The suspect was identified by individuals who saw the photos on Live Oak Facebook page. Live Oak Police investigators are completing the investigation and attempting to recover the security camera."

The suspect was not named publicly, and it's not clear what "unrelated charges" he was arrested for. It is also unclear if he remains the man suspected of actually stealing the camera and if not, how he allegedly came to have the device in his possession.

Newsweek has reached out to Live Oak Police Department by email seeking further information and comment.

It's not the first time an alleged criminal has been widely mocked for bungling their misdeeds.

An incompetent thief got trapped in a car mid-robbery and had to call the police for help in Norway, making international headlines back in 2018.

And a gang of robbers in the U.S. got more than they bargained for when they tried to steal phones from a Best Buy in May last year; employees formed an extraordinary NFL-style defense to prevent them leaving the store in footage that later went viral.