A real-life Grinch’s plans to ruin Christmas were ruined by legendary actor Robert De Niro. Per CNN, De Niro’s home into at around 2:45 AM on Monday morning. The suspect, a 30-year-old woman, is believed to have pried open a basement entrance door and slipped inside, heading straight for the home’s Christmas tree. Police were called and arrived soon after, arresting the suspect. The individual is said to have been collecting the presents from underneath the tree along with an iPad belonging to the Taxi Driver actor.

Word is the burglar did not directly interact with De Niro, though the actor was home at the time with his daughter. The two were said to be on another floor and unaware of the unwelcome visitor. Officers had apparently been following the suspect after she was observed checking the doors on a residential street, and that’s how they responded so quickly. Reportedly, police were not surprised to see the suspect in question when they arrived. This is said to be the latest arrest for the suspect who’s recently been arrested for similar crimes. Much like Harry and Marv from Home Alone, her M.O. was to case houses and break in.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

In any case, while the ordeal must have been a fright for De Niro, the good news is that nobody was hurt and none of the gifts were lost. Burglary charges are pending for the suspect, who was taken to jail. She was identified as Shanice Aviles, and the incident marks the third time this month she’s been arrested on burglary charges in New York.

Robert De Niro Is Still Going Strong

     Universal Pictures

Though it’s not clear if the burglar knew exactly who occupied the home, it doesn’t seem like a wise decision to target the house of someone who’s played some of cinema’s toughest characters for decades. While he’s now 79 years old, the actor is still at it, playing a small town Sheriff looking to stop a vigilante in his latest movie Savage Salvation. He also recently appeared in David O. Russell’s Amsterdam following notable roles in films like Joker, The Irishman, The War with Grandpa, and The Comeback Trail. He’s also reuniting with Martin Scorsese for the upcoming movie Killers of the Flower Moon, and he’s also set to play dual roles as gangsters in the upcoming crime movie Wise Guys.

He’s often in grandfather roles these days, but that’s no problem for De Niro. The actor has previously teased that he has no intentions of retiring, suggesting he’ll eventually be playing great-great-grandfathers in movies if that’s what it takes to keep getting him cast in new roles.

“I always say, the next thing is grandfathers, then great-grandfathers, then great-great-great grandfathers, so who knows,” De Niro told Yahoo Entertainment. “I’ll go as long as I can.”