Stamford residents say a grinch has chopped down and stolen an 8-foot spruce planted just last spring at Scalazi Park.

The spruce was stolen last Friday.

The tree is one of several planted to help attract families to the park. Some believe it was chopped down for use as a Christmas tree.

?Someone could have asked Santa Claus for a Christmas tree, and someone in Stamford would?ve come through and given them a Christmas tree,? says the Hubbard Heights Garden Club?s Mildred Ritchie, who spent years pushing to get the Scalazi Park trees planted.