A baby Jesus figurine stolen from a nativity scene in downtown Fort Collins, Colorado, has been returned just in time for Christmas. The statuette, depicting the infant Jesus in a manger, was taken from a public display early Sunday morning. On Thursday, it was anonymously dropped off at a local fire station, accompanied by a handwritten note expressing remorse: “I’m really sorry. I made a dumb mistake in the moment. It won’t happen again.”
Police had released surveillance footage of the suspected thief, appearing to be a teenager or young adult, two days prior to the figurine’s return. This footage, shared on social media, likely contributed to the swift recovery. While the fire station possesses a motion-sensing door camera, it unfortunately did not capture the return of the statue.
Authorities have not released any further information regarding the identity of the individual responsible. Furthermore, the business maintaining the nativity scene has declined to press charges.