A father has been arrested after he sent his toddler inside an arcade machine to steal Nintendo game consoles.

Dad of the year material here, folks. We get that times are tough and every parent wants to be able to afford the latest Nintendo console for their kid’s birthday, but stealing is not the way to go about getting a birthday present, and sending your toddler in to do the stealing and running the risk of getting her stuck is definitely not cool.

New Hampshire’s Union Leader (by way of Kotaku) reported that a 30-year-old man was seen at the Rockingham Park Mall kneeling down beside the game machine and talking. A pair of nearby mall passers-by noticed the odd display and started recording on their cell phone cameras. Moments later, they were surprised to see a pair of Nintendo consoles drop down (a 3DS and a Switch) and then, moments later, a toddler’s head pop out.

The heist had become clear, this dad had sent his own child into the machine to grab the prizes.

Unfortunately for him, the whole thing was caught on mall security cameras as well as a few cell phones. The footage then found its way into the hands of the New Hampshire Police Department, who posted the footage online for tips.

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And tips they got! The Union Leader recently posted an update stating that the unidentified father-of-the-year winner had turned himself in to local police after a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Anthony Helinski, 34, and a teacher at a Massachusetts high school, “surrendered himself, accompanied by his lawyer, after a warrant was issued for his arrest Wednesday.” The NHPD received numerous tips after posting the footage, which soon went viral for its audacity.

Helinski has been charged with theft, criminal trespass, and endangering the welfare of a child. Seriously, what if that kid had gotten stuck in there?!

This was also a bad career move for the high school teacher, who’s been placed on administrative leave until this case gets played out. Judging by the fact there were multiple eyewitnesses with video footage, we’re thinking a guilty plea is inevitable.

Let’s just hope this hasn’t set up his toddler for a life of crime.

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