ALAMEDA, California. – A thief tried to steal a young girl in Alameda’s dream of becoming a superhero, but real heroes rushed to the rescue.

Surveillance footage shows a man stealing a HelloFresh food package from Molly Laufer’s home in July.

Laufer later discovered that the suspected thief had also stolen a second package containing a special Wonder Woman-themed item from Etsy.

Laufer, whose three-year-old daughter had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer the previous month, had ordered the custom T-shirt for her.

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Footage from the camera on Laufer’s doorbell shows Alameda police officer Hung Nguyen walking by on the day of the theft and telling her, “I have bad news.”

The officer said a neighbor found empty packages nearby.

“I realized, oh God, the T-shirt had been delivered. That’s when I started crying in front of the police officer,” she recalls.

Laufer was emotional because the family was planning to visit Philadelphia in a few weeks so their daughter Charlie could begin cancer treatment.

“And so I was really angry about the logistics and it was just another thing I had to figure out. I was really upset about the T-shirt,” Laufer said.

The officer was also angry.

“He kept saying, ‘Oh no, no, that’s not right,'” Laufer said.

Alameda Police patch with the words “Junior Police,” evidence bag, and cards signed by members of the police department.

The following day, Nguyen and others presented Laufer’s family with gifts, including an Alameda “Junior Police” badge, evidence bags and cards signed by members of the police department.

Officers later gave Charlie a replacement pink “Wonder Woman” T-shirt.

The family also received additional replacement shirts from Christopher Tam, owner of All Good Living in Alameda.

“My father was a teacher in Alameda and died of cancer. I felt very sorry about the situation,” Tam said.

Alameda police quickly identified the thief from surveillance footage as the same suspect accused of stealing four times from Old Navy at Southshore Center and the Gap on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland.

“Many times we encounter people who find themselves in the situation they are in through no fault of their own, and the best thing we can do is help them up in that moment,” said Alameda Police Lt. Alan Kuboyama.

“The response from the Alameda Police Department was one of the most touching responses we have received since this diagnosis,” Laufer said.

Henry Lee is a crime reporter for KTVU. Email Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan.