TAMPA — A family in Seminole Heights got a precious memento back with the help of social media Monday.
A Tampa Bay Lightning wreath hangs on the door of one family's home in Seminole Heights.
On the wreath is Jennifer Noel's son's first pair of tournament gloves.
"We love the Lightning, so being able to support my son and the Lightning and kind of showcase it to the neighborhood is a good feeling," she said.
Sunday night, the family heard a loud crack at the front door, as a stranger snatched their homemade wreath and took off.
"It's kind of, like, crushing your insides when you feel like one of your favorite things has gone and is stolen by someone who just wanted to take it for no reason," Ruslan Weaver said.
Noel turned to Facebook and posted pictures of the crime to a Seminole Heights community page.
The owner of London Heights British Pub, Paul Medrano, saw the post and saw the thief walk into his pub, less than a half mile from Noel's home.
Medrano paid the man $20 and told Noel to stop by the pub.
"I knew exactly where it was going to go and I was so happy to see that, you know, that we got something here that means something to somebody in the community, so it was a win-win," he said.
Not even 24 hours after the crime, the wreath was back on the door, in time for game 3 of the Lightning playoff series.
The family isn't pressing charges, and says the crime couldn't have been solved without the online action of the Seminole Heights community.
