Alleged car break-in and passport theft at NW Harris Co. park strands couple: 'We can't travel'

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A couple visiting from Sri Lanka cannot leave the country after their passports were stolen at a northwest Harris County park.

Thusitha Wickramarachichi said his parents were visiting him and his 16-month-old daughter.

"They were excited, and then we were planning some cruises and all that," he said.

But all their plans were halted on Saturday. He said his parents were watching him play cricket at Matzke Park near Jones and Grant roads when a thief broke into his truck and stole a purse containing their passports.

"I usually do, but that day, I did not check with them to see if they had their passports in their bags," Wickramarachichi said.

Surveillance cameras on the car parked next to his truck captured the theft, and the Harris County Sheriff's Office said the footage could be useful in tracking down the thief.

The video shows a man in orange sneakers and an orange shirt exiting the backseat of a black car. He crouches down as he makes his way to the truck and then appears to use some tool to make a hole in the window.

"It took only five seconds," Wickramarachichi said.

Without passports, his parents are unable to leave the country. He said they're waiting on documents from Sri Lanka to begin applying for new passports, which he said would take four months.

"Now we can't do cruises, we can't travel, none of that," he said.

They also won't be able to make their July flight home.

Anyone who recognizes the man in the video is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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