An Oregon man’s search for a missing plant is gaining attention online after security camera footage appeared to capture someone stealing it directly from his yard in the middle of the night. The video, shared to Reddit, quickly attracted thousands of views and comments as users reacted to the unusual theft and weighed in on what might have happened to the plant.
Oregon Reddit user SWANS_CAN_BE_GAY posted a 14-second clip that appears to show someone making off with a lily plant he has owned since 2020. According to the OP, his security camera setup is nearly ten years old, and the footage wasn’t clear enough to capture the suspect’s face. Still, he says he’s determined to figure out who took it. The Reddit user plans to canvass neighbors and post flyers around the area because, as he explained, “it’s not the monetary value. We’ve had that plant since COVID.”
Swan also believes the suspect likely lives nearby, noting that the pot was “big and heavy.” However, the camera footage did not show whether the person loaded the plant into a vehicle or simply carried it away on foot.
Reddit Chimes In
The internet’s amateur detectives quickly arrived in the comment section with suggestions on how to crack the case. One user advised, “Definitely put this out to local groups and find this worthless thief,” while another agreed, writing, “Get the neighbor’s camera footage. This jerk deserves to not get away with it.”
Others were more interested in understanding the motive behind the theft than identifying the suspect. “Sadly this happens because they think that anything left on the ground on private property is free to take,” one user suggested. Another was completely baffled by the mindset behind it, asking, “How does someone get bold, and blind enough to justify it in their mind to go and take someone else’s belonging??? It’s crazy.”
One commenter even introduced readers to the world of plant theft, writing, “People do it all the time… there’s an entire black market for poached wild succulents too,” opening many users’ eyes to an entire underground market they never knew existed.
While the stolen lily itself became the focus of the post, many commenters were ultimately more disturbed by the apparent boldness of the suspect, questioning how someone could feel comfortable walking onto another person’s property and casually making off with something that wasn’t theirs.
