Sara Weinstein isn't waiting for police to catch the brazen thief who swiped her wallet from inside her car while she was distracted pumping gas.
She's personally offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to his arrest, and hopes surveillance video will aid in the search.
"It angered me immensely," she said. "It's pretty shocking to have been violated in that manner."
Weinstein was filling her gas tank at a Mobil station in West Los Angeles about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday when the theft took her by surprise.
"I took my credit card out of my wallet to pay for the gasoline," she recalled. "I got back in the car to put my credit card and receipt back in the wallet, it wasn't there."
What she didn't realized was that a sneaky thief had lifted the wallet while she wasn't looking. Surveillance video shows a dark-colored car pull up to the gas station. The driver gets out and crouches by the driver side of Weinstein’s car, while she's looks in another direction. He looks around, apparently to see if anyone spots him. He checks the passenger-side door once to see if it's unlocked, then reaches for the wallet in the passenger seat, casually walks back to his car and takes off.
The gas station owner showed Weinstein the video when she reported her wallet had disappeared. As she watched it, she noticed the thief was wearing what appeared to be a fake nose. She also spotted an accomplice waiting in his car.
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"If he's smart he'll give himself up right now and get some immunity of some sort to give up his buddy," Weinstein said.
The gas station owner says this is the first time he has seen a theft like this in 25 years.
The Los Angeles Police Department said it is investigating.
