Man in delivery company hoodie runs out of Sweetwater hobby shop with expensive gadget

A man dressed in a delivery company’s hoodie went inside a South Florida business not to deliver a package, but to steal.

Employees say what he stole is worth over $1,000, and now police are trying to track him down.

Christopher Lisi works at Goat Hobbies, a family-owned hobby shop in Sweetwater that specializes in remote control models, including cars, trucks, airplanes, and boats.

He said he was helping a customer Monday when a man in a brown hoodie with the logo of a delivery company walked into the business and tried to pick up two heavy boxes — but Lisi said he wasn't a delivery driver.

“I start asking him, 'what are you doing?' He didn't say anything, he grabbed one and put it on the counter,” Lisi said.

That's when the man asked how much it cost, and Lisi told him $1,500.

“He reacted, saying, '$1500!' and that's when he ran to the door,” Lisi said.

The man ran out of the store with one of the biggest and most expensive cars on sale. Lisi and the customer ran outside to try and stop him, but that's when the man threatened them.

“He kept saying he was going to stab us so we kept our distance and called 911,” Lisi said.

Lisi said the man ran to a car on the side of the shopping plaza, threw the box in the trunk and hopped in the passenger seat. He believes the man had everything planned out, even using another jacket to leave the front door of the business open.

“He came ready to do what he was going to do,” Lisi said. “It's frustrating because he probably didn't have anything, but at the end of the day, I'm not going to risk my life for something like that.”

Lisi called Sweetwater Police and filed a report. It's the first time they've experienced a loss like this and they hope it's the last.

“I'm the one in charge of the store, so I felt guilty, but at the end of the day there wasn't much I could do,” Lisi said.

Sweetwater Police told NBC6 their detectives are aware and investigating the case.