Local News

Three panhandlers forced an autistic man to give them $150 outside the Plymouth Walmart where he works, police said.

After he was robbed outside the Plymouth store where he works, a Walmart employee was gifted thousands of dollars Wednesday from local police, officials, and business owners. 

The initial incident occurred on Aug. 23, when Steven Galandzi was waiting outside the Walmart located at 300 Colony Place. Three people, all presumed to be male, were panhandling there, police said. They surrounded Galandzi, who is autistic, and “continually pressured” him to give them money. 

Galandzi was forced to open his wallet three times, police said, eventually emptying it. He lost $150 in cash. 

Plymouth police posted blurry images of the incident on Facebook, in the hopes that the public could help identify the suspects. 

When someone commented on the post asking for information on how to make a donation to Galandzi, a member of the department replied and said there was already a plan in the works. 

“We have already taken care of that here at HQ….We are going to give the envelope a couple of more days to fill up,” Plymouth Police wrote on Facebook. 

That promise was fulfilled this week, when Galandzi was met outside the store by Chief Dana Flynn, Town Manager Derek Brindisi, President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts Patrick McNamara, as well as other officers and owners of local businesses. 

“Everyone introduced themselves to Steven and proceeded to hand him Big. Fat. Envelopes. The kind you used to see on the Sopranos,” Plymouth police wrote on Facebook. “We are lucky to have such caring business owners in our Town. They also took turns explaining to Steven that what happened to him will never be accepted in our community. We can only hope that we turned a crappy memory for Steven and his family into a great one.”

In total, Galandzi received more than $3,000 in cash, checks, and gift cards, CBS reported.

Police say an investigation into the matter is still ongoing, led by Plymouth detectives. Authorities have received some tips, but those “have not panned out.”