Man stole LA’s beloved dinosaur — then returned it with an apology note that'll make any Angeleno proud

Los Angeles residents were heartbroken after a local icon, a green dinosaur named Clair, disappeared from a Brentwood gas station. However, days later, that heartbreak turned into disbelief, not because Clair was found, but because of the note that came with her. As per LAist, the four-foot-tall fiberglass statue had stood outside the Sinclair gas station on San Vicente Boulevard for seven years. She wore holiday costumes, posed for selfies, and had become a neighborhood treasure. On September 27, security footage captured a masked thief walking up, wrapping her in a sheet, and loading her into the back of a white pickup truck.

Gas station owner John Fawcett said the theft hit the community harder than he expected. "Oh my gosh, we’ve had people come in and cry that Clair is missing," he told LAist. "We’ve had people bring flowers." She was part of place identity, belonging, and local pride, so her theft didn’t feel trivial. A comprehensive global review titled "The Impacts of Public Art on Cities, Places and People’s Lives" found that public art carries an "enduring power" to unite communities, shape shared identity, and foster belonging. The study analyzed over 800 works of research and identified eight major areas of impact, including placemaking, social cohesion, culture, and wellbeing. The authors note that public art not only beautifies a space; it defines it.

Even actor Jamie Lee Curtis joined the chorus of outrage, sharing the footage on Instagram. "REALLY! Hey, you with your fancy truck, really? You need to steal the dinosaur from in front of the Sinclair gas station? Really? Not cool, dude. Not cool!" she wrote, and viewers felt the same. @unusuallycrafted said, "Aw, I thought he was tucking it in… sad." @suzanneyankovic wrote, "What?! I loved that Dino!" @sylvergirl added, "Gotta say I love those — makes ya smile when you drive by one. Why can't people just leave things alone so everyone can enjoy them? So lame to steal it."

Following the outcry, just over a week later, around 2 a.m. on October 5, the same white pickup pulled back into the lot. Security footage showed the man gently setting Clair back on her platform, still wrapped in a white cloth, and driving away, reported ABC 7. Taped to her was a short note: "I’m sorry for stealing Claire! Please do not press charges! Thank you!!" It’s still unclear whether the dinosaur was damaged, and the owners said they plan to examine it soon. Fawcett confirmed the note and said the family didn’t plan to press charges. "We just want her home," he told reporters. While a police report was filed, there have been no arrests.

By morning, Brentwood residents had already started gathering around the gas station. Drivers honked as they passed, and neighbors stopped to take photos with their prehistoric friend. Brandon Adams-Gray, who works nearby, said seeing Clair back brought unexpected hope. "To see it actually returned was like a glimpse of, there are still good people in the world," he told LAist. "Even though they took it, they brought it back." The Sinclair brand has featured dinosaurs in its advertising since the 1930s, but Clair had her own story. She was donated years ago by a writer who’d kept her in his office for decades before giving her to the Fawcett family. Cari Fawcett said they plan to unwrap and inspect Clair soon, but she already feels the community’s relief.

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