Robert De Niro almost came up empty-handed at Christmas.
New York Police Department (NYPD) officers arrested a burglar early Monday morning (local time) who was in the process of stealing the gifts under the Christmas tree at the actor's townhouse on Manhattan's Upper East Side.
The investigators are said to have observed the 30-year-old alleged serial offender in the days before.
When they noticed the open door of a townhouse around 3 a.m. on Monday, they grabbed it.
Neither the burglar nor the investigators are said to have known that De Niro slept upstairs.
The fact that the 79-year-old Oscar winner ("The Godfather") had rented the property only became clear when he came down the stairs, according to a report by the ABC broadcaster.
The burglar, who, according to the NYPD, is one of the city's most active repeat offenders after nearly 30 arrests, is now awaiting her next jail term.