What started as a trip to kick off the holiday season ended in chaos.
A La Feria woman said all she wanted to do was take her kids to see Christmas lights, but she ended up victimized instead.
"It was horrible," said Kimberly Ruiz.
It's a crime that put a damper on the family's Christmas spirit.
"We didn't get to go," said Ruiz.
Ruiz said on her way to Hidalgo Saturday evening to see Christmas lights, her family made a stop at Wing Stop in Alamo for a bite to eat.
I had left my purse in the car not thinking because I was with my husband, and he had his wallet,” she said.”I ran in real quick and came back and our window was broke and my purse was gone."
Ruiz said her purse was sitting in the passenger’s side.
The thief broke through the passenger’s side window, and in just a few minutes had already made a purchase with Ruiz's credit card.
"They used the same card all three times at the same place," she said.
The thief made those purchases at a gas pump.
A representative from the gas station said the stolen credit card was used at AZIZ location 13 in Alamo on FM 495 on pump 9, but the thief wasn't caught on camera.
Ruiz said she reported her credit card stolen but not before the thief racked up almost 2 hundred dollars in gas purchases.
"I planned on Christmas shopping and stuff this weekend, and I have to wait for my new cards, and it's just a hassle…you don't want to have to go through this," said Ruiz.
Alamo Police Chief Arturo Espinosa said investigators are still working to identify the purse snatcher.
"Another person that used a card, we can track them down, and see if they know who was behind them or in front of them that used that card," said Chief Espinosa.
Ruiz said she hopes others learn from her mistake.
"It's Christmas, and this is not the time to be leaving your purse in your car,” said Ruiz. “There's a lot of this going on."
Police said prevention is key to avoid being a victim.
The purse was stolen from the parking lot in front of Wing Stop in Alamo.
It’s on the 14 hundred block of Duranta Avenue in between Cesar Chavez and Alamo Road.
Investigators estimate the theft happened between 6:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Saturday.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Alamo police department at 956-787-1454.
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