Men dressed as Santa Claus were part of a huge grocery heist in Montreal. The police are investigating this strange holiday theft after several people dressed as Santa and about 40 others in elf costumes allegedly walked out of a Metro store with roughly $3,000 in groceries. They left some of the food in public and said they would hand the rest to community groups. The incident took place on December 15, 2025.
Santa Claus and his elves wanted for $3,000 grocery heist
Police say they are treating the Santa Claus grocery heist case as a theft under $5,000. They are currently reviewing store surveillance footage and videos posted online. Montreal police confirmed that officers had made no arrests as of Thursday morning.
A group calling itself Robins des Ruelles (Robins of the Alleys) said it carried out the action. The activists said several people dressed as Santa entered the store along with about 40 masked people dressed as elves and took food to redistribute.
According to the group, members left some items at the base of a Christmas tree in a public square in the Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough, along with a note titled “When hunger justifies the means.” The group also said they would pass the rest of the groceries to community food banks. The local activist collective Les Soulèvements du fleuve shared their message.
Metro condemned the stunt and pushed back on any suggestion that theft is acceptable. “No matter the reason, it is unacceptable and a criminal act,” Metro spokesperson Geneviève Grégoire said, noting that retail theft has become a growing problem in Canada.
Grégoire cited industry figures showing retail crime led to $9.2 billion in losses nationwide in 2024. They added that Metro had donated $1.15 million. The body has also provided more than $81 million in food products to food banks in 2025.
The episode touched off a public debate. Some people praised the stunt as an act of charity or civil protest. Others called it theft that risks hurting local stores and staff. Police are treating the matter as a crime while they sort the facts from the online footage and statements.
