The Grinch who Stole a Christmas tree! Shocking moment SUV driver snatches freshly-cut $250 evergreen from top of family's car in crime-ridden Bay Area

Video shows a real life Grinch stealing a Christmas tree from the roof of a car in broad daylight in California's crime-ridden Bay Area.

The theft happened at a shopping center in San Mateo on Friday, shortly after the family purchased the tree for $250, reported KTUV.

Footage shows the white Infiniti SUV backing up next to the unsuspecting vehicle with the tree tied on top.

Then the Grinch is seen cutting the ropes holding the tree down and rolling it off the black SUV.

The thief throws it into the back of his car and drives off with the freshly-cut evergreen.

San Mateo Police told KGO the case is 'unique' and 'Grinchy because there are people with good hearts out there who are more than willing to help out those who can't afford a tree this time of year.'

Authorities said they are still searching for the suspect, but the Christmas tree lot gave the family a new tree to make up for their shocking loss. 

The Bay Area has been riddled with crime and theft. As of Sunday, the latest data from the San Francisco Police Department shows robbery is up 13.7 percent this year and motor vehicle theft is 6.5 percent.

Dozens of stores and business have closed in the Golden Gate city due to the rise in crime, drug use and increasing homeless population.

Last month, a life-long San Francisco resident filmed her walk to work through the drug-ravaged streets that have made the city an international symbol for squalor and despair.

'The anxiety we experience just traveling to work daily in the Tenderloin is unbelievable,' she wrote.

'There are so many concerns and protections in place for drug users and homeless people but what about the working class that have to pray that they make it to and from work in this environment.'

'These are real dangers faced every single day just to be able to provide for your family.'

Economist call the crisis 'doom loop,' referring to a city's decline when tax incomes fall as residents and businesses leave, causing revenues to decline in a downward spiral that is hard to reverse.

Even homeless pirates have been marauding onto houseboats in the San Francisco Bay.

A recent CBRE analysis found San Francisco has a market-wide office vacancy rate of 34 percent.

A DailyMail.com analysis found the city stands to lose $200M-a-year as major businesses leave the city. Starbucks closed seven stores in the Golden Gate city and Microsoft vacated its nearly 50,000 square foot office.