Pranksters Steal 48 Pumpkins, Police Conduct “Pumpkin Lineup” to Find Owners

“I recognize mine! It’s the orange one.”

Last week, pumpkins began mysteriously vanishing from neighborhoods in Maryland Heights, Missouri.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the first call to police came in around 1:40 am on October 18.

Sgt. Jamie White of the Maryland Heights Police Department was on the case. He tracked down a compact SUV that fit the getaway car description provided by a witness.

White knew he’d nabbed the thieves when he saw that the Subaru Forester he stopped held three teenage boys, 48 pumpkins, and one gourd.

“No idea how they all fit in there,” Maryland Heights police Capt. Scott Will said. “It was top-to-bottom orange.

“It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together after that.”

The police department took a line-up style photo of the pumpkins and the gourd and posted it on social media in hopes that the rightful owners would recognize their stolen decorations and claim them.

“I have attached a picture of a pumpkin line up. If you woke up this morning to missing pumpkins, please contact me,” wrote Officer Erica Stough on Facebook.

Will says police have been “inundated” with people coming to track down their Halloween pumpkins. About a dozen remained unclaimed Tuesday. None are carved.

He said many claimed to know their pumpkin by sight.

“I don’t know how, but we trusted people would be honest,” he said. “And you know, a pumpkin is basically a pumpkin.”

Two 18-year-olds have been charged with misdemeanor stealing, while a 16-year-old has been referred to juvenile court.