Merced, CA (October 22, 2025) — The Merced County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help identifying two suspects accused of stealing pumpkins grown by students at St. Paul Lutheran Church & School in Merced.
Deputies say the theft happened around 7 a.m. on October 11 at the school’s campus on McKee Road, where 13 pumpkins were taken from the children’s garden. Surveillance video shows an adult man and a possible teenage girl loading the pumpkins into a silver SUV before leaving the property.
The pumpkins were part of a student project, grown and tended by the children in preparation for fall activities.
As of this week, no arrests have been made, and the stolen pumpkins have not been recovered. The Sheriff’s Office urges anyone who recognizes the suspects or the vehicle in the video to contact investigators at (209) 385-7445 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at (855) 725-2420.
