ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Ben Draper of St. Petersburg and his partner wait all year for the mangoes on their front yard tree to ripen.
They enjoy some of their sweet loot while it's fresh, share it with friends and freeze the rest to save for the remainder of the year.
But this year, they'll have fewer mangoes to enjoy.
For a second time, Draper came home one day to find someone had plundered his tree, taking mounds of his mangoes.
His Ring camera shows two people in a truck using a stick to knock the mangoes out of his tree, filling a bucket and driving off.
"It made me angry because we enjoy those mangoes," said Draper.
And he's not alone. Draper said many of his neighbors have also had their trees plundered.
When he shared his Ring camera video on the community social media site 'Nextdoor', many commenters said they'd had similar experiences.
So if you have a fruit tree or if this has happened to you, what can you do?
St. Petersburg Police Crime Prevention Specialist Chip Wells said first and foremost, make a report.
While it's unlikely you'll get your property back, Wells said it's still important to report petty crimes so police can track trends.
"Most people don't report it, so we really don't know how much it is occurring," said Wells.
To avoid any gray area, Wells suggested adding signs to your property saying "no trespassing," or "fruit is not public."
"What that does is gives us a little bit more in the back end if we have to file charges. It makes it a little tougher for the person to go 'Oh, I didn't know,'" said Wells.
He reminded people that stealing fruits from another person's property is not only rude but also illegal.
"It's not legal to take property that is someone else's, period," said Wells.
He said it would be a misdemeanor theft and it could lead to up to 6 months of jail time.
But above all, both Wells and Draper urged we all follow the lessons we learned in grade school: if it's not yours, don't take it and if you want something, ask for permission.
"I just wish people would ask," said Draper.