Police searching for thief swiping tip and donation jars from businesses in Jersey City

JERSEY CITY (WABC) -- Police in Jersey City are searching for a thief who is stealing tip and donation jars from local businesses.

The latest robbery, caught on surveillance video, happened Tuesday night at Torico Ice Cream at 20 Erie Street.

Other jars have been stolen at stores on Newark Avenue, including Two Boots Pizza and Word Bookstore, police say.

And Fussy Friends, a pet store, believes the same person is responsible for the attempted theft of a donation jar.

"No one's stealing money from our homeless kitty cats, here!", said the clerk, Kayt Hester.

She says it's infuriating. In a video, she says the man can be seen already with the canister in his bag. He tells Kayt to have a nice day and leaves.

In that instant, she realizes what's happened and chases him down the street.

"I said, 'Hey, give me that back and I swore at him, and he handed it back and said I'm sorry I'm broke. I felt bad for him, but you can't steal donations from people,'" said Kayt.

Shopkeepers say it wasn't until the man's picture was posted on social media that they realized they were all victims of the same thief.

Veronica Smith was scooping ice cream at Torico, just around the corner. She says the man reached behind the counter and quietly snatched their tip jar.

"I was working throughout the entire day, so that was a lot of money that accumulated up in that jar," said Veronica.

Kayt Hester says she felt sorry for the man at first. But not anymore.

"I felt bad for him until I found out he was stealing from those hard-working girls in the ice cream place because they're really good kids and they don't need their tips stolen by this full-grown man," she said.

Police are investigating at least four separate incidents in the same neighborhood over the past seven days.

Shopkeepers have seen him before, and they're convinced he lives nearby. Which is why he'll probably be caught, sooner rather than later.