Suspect charged with ‘Ted’ mask theft

WEST CHESTER » A Willistown man finds himself in legal hot water for prank involving a bear mask.

But not just your average bear mask — rather, a bear mask of the title character from the 2012 Mark Wahlberg movie, “Ted,” about a talking, albeit foul-language talking, Teddy bear.

West Chester police on Thursday arrested Nabil Waris, 28, and charged hm with felony robbery, theft by unlawful taking and receiving stolen property after an incident that had occurred in the borough involving Waris and another man wearing a “Ted” mask.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by Officer Brandon Deloia, at approximately 1:18 a.m., the victim, whose name was not included in the affidavit, stated that he had been standing at the intersection of West Market Street and North High Street wearing the mask when a man, later identified as Waris, drove up to him in a white 2011 Mercedes-Benz e300 and asked him for a hug.

When the man complied and hugged Waris, the defendant grabbed the back of the man’s head and forcibly removed he mask. He then drove away, heading east on Market Street with the mask in his car.

Alerted to the robbery, West Goshen police stopped the Mercedes at the entrance to the Golf Club Apartment complex on West Chester Pike. Deloia drove the victim to the scene, and the man was able to identify the driver as the person who took his mask. The mask was valued at $41.99. Waris — a sales consultant at Mercedes-Benz of West Chester who had previously been arrested and charged with loitering and prowling by West Whiteland police in 2012 — was arraigned and released on $2,500 unsecured bail. A preliminary hearing has been set for Tuesday.