Rockland County police are searching for the person who stole hundreds of dollars meant to help a family bury their toddler.
Police say the suspect ran into the deli at around 9 p.m., grabbed the jar with about $300 in it and ran out.
The stolen donations were raised for the family of 20-month-old Dominic Mero. The toddler died Friday after he was hit by a car outside a Spring Valley apartment complex.
The man who struck Mero has not been ticketed or charged.
Resident Otis Jones, who was one of the first people to put money in the jar, was so distraught by the crime that he took up his own collection using a five-gallon water jug.
"If you steal from a baby, you will steal from your mother," he says.
Guzman Deli owners say they will continue to collect funds, but will keep a better eye on the donation jar.