A university student who’s selling fundraising cookies beside a busy east Auckland park says two men worked together to steal about $600 in cash from her on Sunday night.
Tessa Macleod is at the location at Barry Curtis Park in Chapel Road, Flat Bush, from 5pm to 8pm seven days a week selling the popular Cookie Time cookies.
The 18-year-old university student is working to earn money to pay her rent next year.
She says she was standing at her table just after 6pm on Sunday when a man went to the front of her vehicle, which was parked nearby, and called her over to him.
“I thought ‘this is weird’, so I walked over and his friend, who was hiding in the bush [behind her], jumped out.
“I had my float and all my cash in an ice cream bucket on the table. He grabbed the bucket and a whole thing of cookies and ran away.”
The bucket contained about $600 in cash.
The man who’d called Tessa over to him ran into some bushes as she chased after the man who’d grabbed her cash and cookies toward the basketball courts at Barry Curtis Park.
She says the man who’d taken the cash and cookies ran into a car park.
He got into a van being driven by a woman with another woman in the front passenger seat.
“Two girls walked past me and said they saw a guy running with the money and they could hear the money shaking.
“They said they saw him get into a grey van and there were two women driving it.”
The man who’d initially distracted Tessa was in the van also. The group headed south on Chapel Road toward Clover Park.
Tessa says the man who grabbed her money and cookies was wearing a blue and black top and had on a small side bag.
He had long hair that she thinks may have been plaited. The other man had a large build.
“The money in the float was mine and the other $300 was money I had earned from sales that day,” she says.
“Everyone was so amazing afterward. About 20 people stopped and someone called the police for me. They helped pack up and they got everything into my car.”
Following the incident Tessa went to the shops over the road from where she’s selling cookies to check if they had CCTV footage.
She’s been in contact with police and is upset people could think it’s okay to target someone in such a way.
“There are so many cookie sellers across the country and they’re usually young girls.
“The fact they think they can do that to young girls, and it’s also the money as it’s partly for charity.
“KidsCan is our hero charity this year and we support Hato Hone St John and the Dyslexia Foundation of New Zealand. Cookie Time donates $200,000 a year to charities.”
Despite the alarming experience, Tessa is determined to not let it get her down.
“I think I felt very safe here. I could have not come back and sold here but the community knows I’m here now and people beep when they go past.
“I’m not going to let what they did get me down. I’m going to keep going and prove to them that it’s not going to affect me.”
She plans to be at the same spot until about December 22, or until she sells all her buckets of cookies. They sell for $22 for one bucket or $63 for three.
Counties Manukau East Police sergeant Kevin Deo says the theft is being investigated.
“The victim had been selling cookies on the roadside on Chapel Road when two men approached her at around 6.30pm.
“One man distracted the victim, while the other stole cookies and money. Both men fled to a nearby vehicle.
“Police are making enquiries to identify these two opportunistic offenders, including reviewing any available CCTV footage.
“We ask anyone in the area at the time, who can assist our enquiries, to update us online now or call 105. Please use the reference number 241208/6046.
“Information can also be provided anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
