An Orange County woman was reunited with her beloved cat, Clubber, nearly a week after he was stolen from her home, police announced Thursday.
The catnapping suspect, however, remains at large.
Surveillance video captured the moment the suspect snagged Clubber, a 10-month-old Bengal Lynx cat, from outside the Westminster home on the evening of March 21.
The cat’s owner, Eva Corlew, told KTLA that Clubber was sitting underneath her boyfriend’s car when a stranger walked up and took him.
According to the Westminster Police Department, the home surveillance footage showed a man at the end of Corlew’s driveway attempting to lure Clubber out, possibly using food.
When Clubber approached, police said the man quickly grabbed the cat and fled in a white pick-up truck, possibly a Toyota Tacoma.
Corlew got home late that night and discovered the next morning that Clubber was missing.
When she started looking for him, she saw that the AirTag regularly attached to Clubber’s collar was stationary, and she soon found it outside near her driveway.
Corlew reported the incident to police, began posting on social media and going door-to-door in her neighborhood trying to find her beloved cat.
Then, in an update released on March 27, the Westminster Police Department said officers received a tip that Clubber was at a home in Santa Ana.
Officers found the cat safe and unharmed and reunited him with Corlew.
The theft is still under investigation, and the search for the suspect is ongoing. Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspect and his vehicle.
Detectives described the suspect as a man, possibly 40-50 years old, who stands 6 feet tall and has a medium build.
At the time of the catnapping, the suspect was wearing a long-sleeved orange shirt, black jeans and a white hat.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Westminster Police Department at 714-898-3315 or submit an anonymous tip to Orange County Crime Stoppers at 1-855-TIP-OCCS.
