MBTA Police Catch Package Thief, Find Rightful Owner Of $1,700 Piano

BOSTON (CBS) -- A $1,700 piano is now in the hands of its rightful owner after it was stolen by a package thief, MBTA Police said Friday.

"Scrooge came early for one Boston resident but TPD saved the day," the agency said in a statement.

On Monday morning, Transit Police were notified that a man was trying to steal tools from a construction area in South Station. When officers got there, they noticed the man had a shopping cart with a large unopened box packaged for shipping. It said Yamaha Piano on it and had a shipping label with a Boston address and a name.

The man with the cart, who was later identified as 41-year-old Timothy Babyok of Easthampton, gave officers a fake name and information, police said. The information didn't match the shipping label and Babyok couldn't explain why he had the package.

Police took the piano and tracked down the owner, who said he ordered it and never received it even though the tracking number indicated that it had been delivered.

"Officers delivered the piano to the most grateful owner and all was well," police said.

Babyok was arrested and charged with receiving stolen property over $1,200. While he was being booked, police discovered he had two outstanding warrants for shoplifting and assault with a dangerous weapon out of Cambridge and Boston respectively.