A few days ago, we reported on the bizarre story of a guy who put his own daughter into a crane game vending machine to steal a Nintendo Switch and 3DS. In an update by Kotaku, the thief has just willingly turned himself into police.
According to the source, the man has been identified as Anthony Helinski, a 34 year-old teacher from Massachusetts. Thanks to the virality of the original video, police received numerous tips regarding the possible identity of Helinski. After issuing a warrant for his arrest, Helinski, accompanied by his lawyer, turned himself into police on Wednesday.
What’s perhaps the strangest part of this story is the fact that Helinski didn’t seem to mind being video-taped while in the middle of stealing from the machine. In the original video, he just appears to nonchalantly be going about his business without a care in the world. It’s as if he assumed no one would be able to recognize him because he was wearing a hat. Here it is again for reference.
Suffice to say, Clark Kent-level disguises don’t work in real life.
Helinski has since been charged with “three counts of theft by unauthorized taking, two counts of criminal trespass, and one count of endangering the welfare of a child.”
The school where he worked, Doherty Middle School, confirmed his arrest with a statement by the Andover Superintendent of Schools Shelly Berman:
“One of our teachers at the Doherty Middle School was involved in an incident in Salem, N.H. last week. Andover Public Schools is fully cooperating with authorities. The teacher has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.”
This truly has been a very strange saga. It’s really hard to understand what exactly was going through Helinski’s mind while he was committing the crime. Regardless of whether or not he’s found guilty, it’s pretty safe to assume his days as a teacher are over.
Featured Image Source: 123RF
