George and Nadeen Farahat mystery wedding crasher steals $80-100K worth of gifts during their Glendale, California wedding reception as newly married couple are left devastated as thief continues to remain at large.
A wedding crasher was caught on camera stealing over $80,000 worth of wedding gifts from a newly married couple during their wedding reception in Glendale, California. To date the un-identified man continues to remain at large.
Catastrophe struck the newly married couple, George and Nadeen Farahat as they celebrated their marriage at a reception ballroom at the Renaissance Banquet in Glendale over the weekend.
Glendale wedding crasher steals $80-100K worth of wedding gifts
The un-identified wedding crasher was captured on camera brazenly grabbing a box containing tens of thousands of dollars in gifts and cash that had been given to the couple by family and friends. The man, who was wearing a suit, could then be seen fleeing the venue, which was decorated with lavish flowers for the occasion.
‘As soon as we found out what happened, the music shut down, everything immediately stopped,’ bride Nadeen recalled to ABC 7. ‘I ended up sitting on the dance floor, sobbing with my friends and cousins around me.’
Security footage captured the thief attending the reception for around 90 minutes, using the restroom and, including ordering a drink at the bar.
‘He’s watching the dance floor, watching our family. It’s so scary to look back and see that there was a stranger at such a private and intimate event,’ Nadeen told ABC 7.
Groom George — who estimates that the thief took between $80,000 and $100,000 — told KTLA that the party was ‘wonderful until the incident took place.’
Adding, ‘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.’
Glendale wedding reception theft leads to couple remaining hopeful
Footage showed the man bolting with his stolen loot towards a back alley where a getaway vehicle was waiting.
Nadeen said it was one of her close friends who recorded the unsettling moment before bringing it to her attention.
‘At that point, the music stopped, everyone was aware of the situation,’ Nadeen recalled.
‘It’s such a memorable and happy day that you’re having so much fun. You don’t think about this stuff. It’s the last thing that could’ve been on anyone’s mind.’
The couple is offering a $5,000 reward for any tips that lead to an arrest.
The Glendale Police Department continues to investigate.
