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Florida family searching for answers after vandals tackle 25-foot tall inflatable Santa

Posted at 11:59 PM, Dec 07, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-08 07:16:25-05

For Eva Lopresto and her family, there’s only one way to do Christmas. 

"Big. Very very big," said Lopresto. 

At Christmas, there’s nothing bigger than Santa -- literally. 

"It was a 25-foot tall Santa," Don McConnell said. "All the neighborhood kids would come and take pictures under it."

On Wednesday night, a neighbor’s surveillance camera captured quite the sight.

 

You could see couple of shadowy figures make their way across the street with Santa in their sights.

"You could literally see two kids running over, jumping into him, him collapsing, and then running away," McConnell said.

The towering holiday icon now lays limp and lifeless on the front lawn.

"My mom put him up, and now he's down," Lopresto said. "With the stake still in there, which is sad."

With her family left wondering why anyone would tackle Santa just weeks before Christmas, Lopresto has a special message for the Grinches.

"You better pay for another one! Or else I’m going to be very mad at you," Lopresto said.