Thief steals breast cancer research donation jar from restaurant

Image 1 of 3

A thief was caught on camera stealing a donation jar that was supposed to go toward breast cancer research.

It happened at Nikola's restaurant in Southfield. The thief can be seen standing in the entry way on camera. As two men walk in and wait to be seated, he hovers around and moves off camera.

After the two men are taken to their seat, the man walks up to the counter, looks around and then grabs the jar and walks away.

"I feel bad for him," said Brooke Lussenden, a Nikola's employee. "For someone to want to take money that I am raising for a cause, for people."

As a manager at the metro Detroit restaurant, Brooke Lussenden says has placed a jar at the counter to take donations to help her raise money so she can participate in a local event to fight breast cancer.

"It said on there 'The 3 Day Walk, Susan G Komen,'" she said.

But Brooke says when she arrived to work, that jar and the money inside were gone.

"I came in Thursday morning and I walked up here and I was like where's my jar," she said.

That's when Brooke says she went to check out the restaurant's surveillance video

"As soon as we saw the video I saw the gentleman that did it," she said. "Before I saw him take it, I knew it was him because he had been up there acting very suspicious, pacing back and forth looking at doors to see if anyone was waiting for his chance to take it."

Brooke says she had approached the man earlier who she thought was a customer.

"I walked up and have you been helped and he was like yes, and the he was just pacing back and forth," she said.

Brooke says she hopes justice is served and she's asking for you to pay close attention to this video and if you recognize man to contact police.

"I'm just going to continue raising funds and walk this is my fourth year and I want to keep doing it every year," she said.

If you would like to help Brooke CLICK HERE.