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Infuriating moment homeless teen steals donuts and cash from church courtyard

Nypost · · 298 words · By Nina Joudeh
Urban Decay Crime and Homelessness
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What to know about Urban Decay

Infuriating moment homeless teen steals donuts and cash from church courtyard Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do?

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 4
Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center50%
Right50%

2 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Infuriating moment homeless teen steals donuts and cash from church courtyard Forgive them, Father, for they know not what they do?

Why it matters

Mark’s Church in Venice on Sunday, surveillance cameras caught a troubled teen stealing donuts and the money box from the courtyard.

Common ground

The teen, believed to be connected with Safe Place for Youth and living in a Venice Community Housing apartment, strolled onto the church grounds and sifted through the tables outside until he found what he was looking for.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Appeal to Fear, Red Herring: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/homeless-teen-steals-donuts-and-cash-from-…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 4 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 85% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Red Herring 80% confidence
Introducing an irrelevant topic to divert attention from the original issue.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing red herring helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Guilt by Association 80% confidence
Discrediting an idea by linking it to a disliked group or person.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing guilt by association helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3
verified Verified By Reference 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified 1
info
Claim 1: “The attacker was identified as resident Justin Tucker by the Venice Housing Corporation”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source (DNYUZ) explicitly identifies the attacker as Justin Tucker. Other results are general information about the city of Venice or unrelated celebrities.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American businessman and philanthropist. A pioneer of the microcomputer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, he co-founded the software company Mic…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Gates
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Edward Harrison Norton (born August 18, 1969) is an American actor and filmmaker. After graduating from Yale College in 1991 with a degree in history, he worked for a few months in Japan before moving…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Norton
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hong Chau (born June 25, 1979) is an American actress who is most known for her performance in the 2022 film The Whale, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress an…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Chau
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 2: “Co-executive directors Erika Lee & Allison Riley said the agency is cooperating with police”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While one source identifies Erika Hartman as the CEO of Safe Place for Youth, there is no evidence in the provided text regarding statements from Erika Lee or Allison Riley about cooperating with police.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, an American right-wing political activist, was assassinated at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, while speaking at an outdoor campus debate planned by Turning …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Charlie_Kirk
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The first season of Idol Philippines aired on ABS-CBN (under the full title Search for the Idol Philippines) from April 21 to July 28, 2019, replacing World of Dance Philippines and was replaced by th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idol_Philippines_season_1
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Juul Labs, Inc. (, stylized as JUUL Labs) is an American electronic cigarette company headquartered in San Francisco. Its flagship product is the Juul electronic cigarette, which atomizes nicotine sal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juul
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 3: “Just last week, a violent Venice resident allegedly wielded a samurai sword, nearly severing another man’s arm”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web sources confirm a violent incident in Venice involving a samurai sword and an attack that nearly severed a man's arm.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While hymns echoed through St. Mark’s Church in Venice on Sunday, surveillance cameras caught a troubled teen stealing donuts and the money box from the courtyard.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/homeless-teen-steals-d…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Police arrested a man accused of attacking another man with a samurai sword Thursday outside of a Venice apartment complex. The Los Angeles Police Department took Justin Tucker into custody near Venic…
https://dnyuz.com/2026/05/09/venice-samurai-sword-attacker-a…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A vicious Venice resident is on the run after he allegedly used a samurai sword to nearly hack off another man’s arm, leaving a bloody scene and shocking neighbors.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/crazed-samurai-swor…
verified
Claim 4: “Safe Place for Youth provides immediate support for people ages 12-25 experiencing or at risk of homelessness”
VERIFIED
The organization's own website and Facebook page confirm its mission to prevent and end youth homelessness and provide support for youth.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — National Safe Place (doing business as National Safe Place Network) is a non-profit organization based out of Louisville, Kentucky. It originated in 1983 from an initiative known as "Project Safe Plac…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Safe_Place
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The term safe space refers to places "intended to be free of bias, conflict, criticism, or potentially threatening actions, ideas, or conversations", according to Merriam-Webster. The term originated …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_space
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This Is Not a Safe Place is the sixth studio album by English rock band Ride. The album was released on 16 August 2019, the date being announced on 23 April 2019 along with the release of the album's …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Not_a_Safe_Place
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 5: “Father Albert van der Woerd took matters into his own hands and went to the Pacific Division to file a report in person”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists only of dictionary definitions for the word 'Father'. There is no evidence regarding Father Albert van der Woerd or a police report filing.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — A biological father is the male genetic contributor to the creation of the child, through sexual intercourse or sperm donation. A biological father may have legal obligations to a child not raised by …
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of FATHER is a male parent. How to use father in a sentence.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/father
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — FATHER definition: 1. a male parent: 2. (the title of) a Christian priest, especially a Roman Catholic or Orthodox…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/father
info
Claim 6: “surveillance cameras caught a troubled teen stealing donuts and the money box from the courtyard [of St. Mark’s Church in Venice]”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one specific web search result describes the incident of a teen stealing donuts and a money box from St. Mark's Church in Venice (LA). Other results are about St. Mark's Basilica in Italy or unrelated videos.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — While hymns echoed through St. Mark’s Church in Venice on Sunday, surveillance cameras caught a troubled teen stealing donuts and the money box from the courtyard. A person in a dark shirt appears to …
https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/us-news/homeless-teen-steals-d…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — LEAFY AND FIREY PLUSH BOTH AVAILABLE HERE: http://shop.jacknjellify.comVoting ends when this video is 48 hours old.If you'd like to help support jacknjellify...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wluh0U2wZuY
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The first St. Mark’s Basilica was built on this spot in the 9th century to house very sacred relics—relics that had been stolen! In 828, merchants from Venice stole the body of St. Mark the Evangelist…
https://www.cityexperiences.com/blog/6-fascinating-facts-abo…
verified
Claim 7: “The teen, believed to be connected with Safe Place for Youth and living in a Venice Community Housing apartment”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general definitions of 'teenager' and unrelated Wikipedia entries about St. Mark's in Italy or Australia. There is no evidence linking the specific thief to Safe Place for Youth or Venice Community Housing.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Saint Mark's relics, the remains of Mark the Evangelist, have been held in St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy since being stolen from Alexandria, Egypt in the ninth century AD. The head remained in A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Mark's_relics
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — St Mark's College is an Australian university co-residential college in North Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1925, it is affiliated with the Anglican Church of Australia. It is the oldest resid…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mark's_College_(University…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — St Mark's Campanile (Italian: Campanile di San Marco, Venetian: Canpanièl de San Marco) is the bell tower of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. The campanile is a reconstruction completed in 1912, t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mark's_Campanile
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.