A large note to a thief captures attention in Orlando

Grandfather’s note tells criminal he broke his grandson’s heart

ORLANDO, Fla. – A large note written by a concerned grandfather is capturing attention along a busy roadway in Orlando.

It was written by George Maillis, and he said he addressed it to a thief who took off with his 11-year-old grandson’s birthday gift, a PlayStation 4 game console.

"I felt so bad for my grandson," Maillis said.

The boy's father, Tommy Maillis, described what happened at their home in the Conway area two weeks ago.

“Somebody slid the window up, reached in because it was on a table inside, reached in and grabbed the PlayStation off the table,” he said. “My son was literally two or three feet away from the PlayStation when they took it.”

The grandfather wrote a message to the unknown thief:

This note was written by George Maillis to a thief he said stole his grandson's PlayStation 4 from their home while everyone was sleeping. (WKMG)

"You broke a little kid's heart. You broke a little boy's heart -- my grandson," he said. "Eleven years old. You stole his game you know?"

"It made me happy when I saw it," said his grandson, also named George. "Maybe the person who stole it walked by, and they will feel bad for themselves."

The Maillis family is working to get the serial number of the console, so they can file a police report and get results.


About the Author:

Erik Sandoval joined the News 6 team as a reporter in May 2013 and became an Investigator in 2020. During his time at News 6, Erik has covered several major stories, including the 2016 Presidential campaign. He was also one of the first reporters live on the air at the Pulse Nightclub shooting.

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