SALT LAKE CITY — A 7-foot green dinosaur that disappeared from a Sinclair gas station more than a week ago has been located by police.
Tha Imran, owner of Sharooz Sinclair, said Tuesday the dinosaur — nicknamed “Booker” by her children — disappeared sometime overnight between Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 from the northwest corner of the property, located at 1689 S. 1300 East.
A clerk discovered the theft when a customer inquired about the green figure.
“(The customer) said, ‘Where’s your dinosaur?’” Imran recalled as her eyes grew large. “(The clerk) said, ‘Ehhh, I don’t know.’”
The heist was particularly saddening to Imran’s boys, Sharooz and Shahan.
“I liked the dinosaur more than the candy,” Shahan said. “Why? Why would they steal it? I was sad and I was thinking about it — like every day — that I hope it comes back.”
Salt Lake police detective Greg Wilking said Tuesday officers received a tip that the dinosaur had wound up in someone’s backyard as part of a teenage prank.
Wilking said the department was working to facilitate its safe return and was continuing to actively monitor the situation.
Meanwhile, the Imran family was grateful the fixture on their property had been located.
“I kind of felt like we’d get it back because it’s so big,” Sharooz said. “It belongs here.”
Tha Imran said her children were thrilled when they learned the dinosaur was going to make a return.
And Shahan already as plans for his prehistoric pal: “Sit on it and pretend it’s moving.”
The family now has plans to secure the dinosaur with concrete to ensure it doesn’t walk off again.
