Man accused of stealing baby formula from Bensalem Target
Bensalem, Pa. (WTXF) - Police are searching for a man accused of stealing baby formula from a Target in Bensalem.
"I understand you have to do what you got to do but everyone has to make ends meet and I think stealing formula is not something that is a best practice when raising a family." Karen Depalma visited the Target Store on Rockhill Drive in Bensalem with little sympathy for a man seen in surveillance camera stills accused of swiping baby formula by the duffel bag full, according to Bensalem Police.
"I feel like times are tough and people are willing to do whatever it takes to feed their family well whether or not it's stealing or trying to get away with things that they find important," she said.
Police say the suspected thief hit the Target twice each time hiding several bottles of baby formula with a black and gray duffel bag before walking out without paying.
The exact motive is unclear, but that doesn't matter to parents we talked with.
"I'm on a tight budget. My wife stays at home and I'm the only one that works so when you have to stretch a dime, there's still no reason to steal," Bensalem resident Mike Simon said.
Detectives think the suspect may be behind similar crimes at other Target stores in the area.
"I also work in retail in the food store and there's been people that have been caught or not caught but loading their shopping carts and walking out the front door with baby formula," Depalma said.
If the accused crook is a father struggling to make ends meet parents say there are better answers.
"We get coupons in the mail for almost all of the formula brands that are out there. You can go to the hospitals, food shelters--stuff like that. They have formula that they give away for free so there's no need to go out and steal," Simon said.