What Would You Do If You Found a Working 42'' Plasma Screen TV Sitting on a Street Corner in the Mission?

Reader MC might’ve just experienced a Thanksgiving miracle:

So, riding from one Thanksgiving dinner to the next, I rode south on Capp Street. I crossed 24th Street. And right here [pictured] I see a 42″ plasma TV sitting on the ground.

After checking it out for a few minutes, I realize there’s no way to carry it along with my bike to the house. So, I go to the house and recruit a friend to help me carry back to the house. We plug it in — it works. I plug in the cable, and I’m watching TV now. The thing works perfectly.

I decide to be a good guy, and post a note — thinking maybe someone is moving (who moves on Thanksgiving?)… or I don’t know how you can ‘lose’ a 70+ pound, 42″ inch TV. But, I think that’s the moral thing to do, right?

The only other viable option– someone planned to buy a new TV for Black Friday, and just tossed this thing– but it sells for over $700 used on amazon.

So– the question is — 1) Who lives at Capp & 24th who just ‘throws out’ a $700 TV? 2) What does that say about the state of the Mission if so? 3) Is there a secret spy camera inside watching me as I type this? 4) Did someone break into a house, and get around the block and gave up because it was heavy? 5) What should I be doing with this? Should I post a Craiglist Lost/found post? Is the note sufficient? 6) Does it have a curse on it? 7) But seriously– who just throws out a 42″ TV on Capp & 24th….? WTF?

This thing is huge– it’s bigger than my coffee table, and almost the size of my couch.

Also, FWIW, I paid the cab driver $20 to load my TV, my bike, and me and drive me home. The first cabbie refused, Luxor said ‘no vans unless you are handicapped’ and then this Yellow Cab guy helped me put it into and out of the cab, so that was nice.

Anybody lose their TV?

[Photo by Google Maps]

18 Responses to “What Would You Do If You Found a Working 42'' Plasma Screen TV Sitting on a Street Corner in the Mission?”

  1. salsaman says:

    Most likely (4): anybody could easily get cash selling a 42″ plasma if they actually replaced it. Best to report it to the police.

  2. void says:

    Actually, yo, that’s my TV. It slipped out my back pocket when I went into the corner grocery. Damn, the wife was giving me hella grief over it, thanks a lot for posting!

  3. Jorge says:

    It’s a trap!

  4. aaron alvin says:

    it was mine. enjoy the bed bugs and roaches bro.

  5. Chully says:

    Stolen property. Call the popo and don’t take it with you, or you’ll be in the pokey yourself.

  6. Post a craigslisting lost+found. If nobody can produce a receipt in 30 days, it’s yours. Congratulations!

  7. MrEricSir says:

    I’ve found some rather nice electronics in dumpsters in the past (iMac, Sun server, working mini fridge.) And considering that many residents treat SF’s streets like one big dumpster, I can see this being possibly legit.

  8. MC says:

    Alright, so, my friend and I agreed to call SFPD non-emergency. I was hoping they’d say ‘there was a break-in at ____ last night, so it’s this persons…’ but instead they are sending an officer out to my house to talk to me about it right now…

    I know I’m doing The Right Thing — but if I lose this TV because of you, dear commenters, I’m gonna be bummed!

  9. K says:

    bed bugs, they can get in anything.

  10. heather says:

    Sucks how that happened! BUT you did the right thing. Hopefully you have good karma now.

  11. halle says:

    did the police tell you that SFPD property would probably lose it? You ought to write to our hotshot Police Chief with that story. I mean, do they want people doing the right thing or not? And do they want the police bad-mouthing the police to the public? sheesh.

  12. dirk funk says:

    there was a camera in that fucker

  13. Kyra says:

    Weird. I was with a group of people on thanksgiving when we saw this dude mad stoked that he found the TV on our way to the makeout room. And we were all really full and really tired and really mad that we weren’t that dude.