Coronavirus: Arizona man receives free mask, then breaks into donor’s car

AVONDALE, Ariz. — An Arizona woman’s kind act boomeranged within minutes as she became a victim of theft.

Teresita Mulleneaux, who owns an alteration shop in Avondale that has seen its business drop dramatically, has been sewing masks to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, KNXV reported. When people request a mask, she gives the first one away and asks for a donation if a customer asks for more, the television station reported.

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Last week, a man came in to request a mask, Mulleneaux said. After receiving it, he went outside and broke into a car, stealing a purse that was on the passenger’s seat.

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The purse belonged to Mulleneaux, KNXV reported.

“He came in. I said ‘How can I help you?’ He said, ‘I need (a) mask.’ I thought he worked at the barbershop,” Mulleneaux told KNXV. “He put it on to break (into) my car.'"

Mulleneaux said the thief took about $300, the keys to the store and keys to her home, the television station reported.

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A security camera confirmed the thief was the man that had been in the store moments earlier, Mulleneaux told KNXV. The video shows the man wearing the mask, holding her purse and then running away from the car, the television station reported.

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“When I saw my car broken into I was upset, but when I saw the guy who I give a mask (to) and he used it for that, I felt violated,” Mulleneaux told KNXV. “I mean, I’m trying to help people and then this.”

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