Wedding crasher schmoozes, then grabs $60,000 in gifts and flees in a Mercedes

Police reports and surveillance footage are typically not on top of the to-do list for a bride and groom on their wedding day.

But an opportunistic wedding crasher made off with more than a goodie bag at a reception over the weekend. The uninvited guest stole a donation box containing cash, gift cards and checks meant for a pair of newlyweds celebrating in Glendale. Authorities pegged the total loss at $100,000 before revising the estimate Tuesday to about $60,000 in stolen cash and checks, according to the Glendale Police Department.

The groom, 33-year-old George Farahat, doesn’t know exactly how much money was taken. He and his wife, Nadeen Farahat, 28, have spent the last few days calling their guests, telling them that a thief might have their checks and, thus, their banking information.

The newlyweds, originally from Jordan, have lived in the United States for several years. As is traditional in their culture, they didn’t provide guests a wedding registry.

“What you would usually gift the newlyweds is just in the form of cash,” George Farahat told The Times on Tuesday. “Cash, checks and cards with words of wisdom, congratulations, they will put into those envelopes.”

A man was seen stealing tens of thousands of dollars in gifts during a wedding reception in Glendale, police say.

(Glendale Police Department)

The theft took place at a Glendale banquet hall on Sunday just after midnight, according to authorities. Video surveillance from the hall shows a man dressed in black casually move through the reception while guests are on the dance floor. At one point, he orders a drink from the bar and makes a phone call in the lobby.

The suspected thief appears at ease in the video, holds the door open for some wedding guests and even sits down at a banquet table at one point, the groom said. The man also appears to have an earpiece and is seen talking on his phone to a possible accomplice. After the theft, a driver picked him up.

It’s unclear why the couple was targeted or if the thieves had carried out a wedding-venue crime before.

“I think they should just be ashamed of themselves, preying on people at their happiest moments of their life — when they let their guards down — and they’re celebrating with family and friends,” George Farahat said.

The man went largely unnoticed until a bridesmaid saw him grab the donation box and dash out of the banquet hall through a side door, KTLA-TV reported.

“At that point, the music stopped, everyone was aware of the situation,” Nadeen Farahat told KTLA. “It’s such a memorable and happy day and you’re having so much fun. You don’t think about this stuff. It’s the last thing that could’ve been on anyone’s mind.”

The couple said they paid extra for security at Renaissance Banquet. They filed a police report about the theft.

An employee who answered the phone Tuesday at the banquet hall declined to comment about the criminal investigation.

The man got into the passenger side of a newer black Mercedes-Benz SUV. He’s described as about 40 years old and bald with a medium build, according to police.

George Farahat told The Times the suspect was clearly visible in surveillance footage carrying the box to the SUV waiting in an alley outside the banquet hall.

The Glendale Police Department said it was investigating the theft. Anyone with information can contact the department at (818) 548-3127.