Video shows man stealing money from kids' lemonade stand in New Jersey

A summertime tradition took an unexpected turn after a man was caught on camera stealing money from a kids' lemonade stand in New Jersey. 

It happened on Aug. 19 when four boys stepped away from the stand in Bergen County for a moment. Video showed a man coming up, grabbing the container with about $50 in earnings and walking away.

But the children didn't lose their money for long.

"Once we realized it was local youths who had their money taken – obviously we take every scene and investigation seriously – but we knew this one hit home," said Hasbrouck Heights Police Detective John Cambridge.

He said surveillance video and witness information helped officers quickly identify the suspect.

"After about 15, 20 minutes of still continuing to look, I went down to the park. And sure enough, he was sitting right there on the park bench, same exact clothing on in the video, with the empty bottle where he took the money from at his feet," he said.

Police arrested Chapel Lighty, 35, without incident. 

Luckily, the boys didn't let the theft deter them from continuing their stand.

Tara Rotelli, one of the boys' moms, said they were back in business later that afternoon.

"It's that age-old saying, 'it's not about how hard you get knocked down. It's about getting up.' So immediately following that, they still had product. And they were all revved up," she said.

The boys also got their money back from the police while Lighty was charged with theft.