Full Breakdown
Kitten Heist in Beltsville: Man Attempts Bank Robbery with Stolen Pet
7/14/2026, 11:52:49 PM
Core Event: Cat-Snatching Bank Robbery Attempt
Around 10:30 a.m. on a recent morning in the Beltsville, Maryland shopping center, a man entered a Pet Supplies Plus store, opened the adoption area with a key, and seized a three-month-old black-and-white kitten named Magnolia. He fled the store, carrying the kitten, and proceeded directly to the adjacent PNC Bank. Inside the bank he approached a teller, asked, “Can you hold this?” and handed a handwritten note demanding cash. Police arrived within minutes, apprehended the suspect at the bank, and returned the unharmed kitten to the shelter.
Key Figures & Groups
- Magnolia – the kitten taken from the store’s adoption area, still listed for adoption.
- Stephanie Stullich – volunteer with Beltsville Community Cats rescue, who responded to the incident after being alerted by store staff.
- Aaron Kurkowski – manager of the Pet Supplies Plus location, who noted the suspect’s repeated visits over the prior weeks.
- Prince George’s County Police – law-enforcement agency that detained the suspect and coordinated the response.
Official Responses
Prince George’s County Police confirmed the suspect was taken into custody at the bank and that no injuries occurred. Store employees reported the individual had been frequenting the pet store for several weeks, consistently targeting the same kitten. The bank’s staff cooperated with police, and the incident concluded without any cash being taken.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Immediately saw all of these police cars, and I thought, ‘Wow, that's a heck of a response for a stolen cat,’ but then I realized they all were going down to the bank,” — Stephanie Stullich, Beltsville Community Cats rescue
- “She is looking for a law-abiding citizen with a lot of love in their heart,” — Stephanie Stullich, Beltsville Community Cats rescue
- “Came in and saw that none of my team was nearby the front, and he just went right to her and ran right on out,” — Aaron Kurkowski, store manager, Pet Supplies Plus
- “[…] They came back out a few minutes later and said, ‘Yes, there is a cat inside the bank.’ Apparently he went into the bank with the cat in his arms, and he walked up to a bank employee and said, ‘Can you hold this?’ And then he wrote a note and handed it to a bank teller and it said, essentially, give me all your cash.” — alleged robber, spoken to bank teller
The swift police action prevented any financial loss and ensured Magnolia’s safe return to the adoption program.
