Man wearing Santa suit arrested in Brea after being found inside car that wasn't his

Wednesday, October 23, 2019
BREA, Calif. (KABC) -- A man wearing a Santa Claus suit was arrested on suspicion of burglary after he was found inside a car that was not his in Brea.

Police responded to a call of a suspiciously occupied vehicle at Balsa Avenue near State College Boulevard early Tuesday morning. When they arrived, the suspect was found inside a car and appeared to be intoxicated, according to the Brea Police Department.
[Ads /]
Upon further investigation, authorities determined that he also did not own the Santa suit. Police believe the man had stolen the suit from a storage shed of a nearby church.

The man was not arrested for driving under the influence since he was not operating the vehicle.

Police posted a picture of the man on Twitter in a holding cell with the following text:

"Dear Santa,
I'm sorry I stole your red suit.
[Ads /]
I was drunk and made some poor choices.
I know it's only October. And it's hot. Too hot for this suit.
But I was drunk. Poor choices.
Sincerely, Drunk Santa Suit Criminal"
Copyright © 2026 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.