Cops Want To Know: Who Ripped Off Maine’s Beloved Tom the Bottle Man?

You just have to wonder: Who would rip off Tom the Bottle Man?

It seems that every city and town across Maine has a person that everyone is familiar with.  A certain person who has been there for almost forever, or so it seems.  Maybe it's a man who washes the windows of businesses on Main Street or pushes a lawnmower throughout the neighborhood from one house to the other mowing lawns to make $.

In Brunswick, that person is Tom the Bottle Man.

Tom the Bottle Man has been around the block, literally thousands of times looking for returnable bottles and cans that he can cash in to put food on the table for both he and his wife.

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A few years back the entire Brunswick community came together when it was discovered that Tom had low blood pressure, and needed both a pacemaker and a stay in the hospital.  Community and business owners collected hundreds of dollars for the cause, and Shelby Rossignol, owner of Rossignol's Hair Shoppe, told WGME at the time, "Tom is a very sweet quiet man, very little words, very soft-spoken."

So today, the Brunswick community was surprised when the police department there posted to Facebook that someone had stolen the large and colorful canvas bags that Tom the Bottle Man uses to collect his bottles.

"If you see anyone else with these bags or see the bags around please notify Brunswick Police 207-721-4301. Tom works hard day in and day out. He needs his bags back PLEASE", the Facebook post states.

In just a few hours the post had been shared hundreds of times.

We sure hope that Tom the Bottle Man gets his canvas bags back soon and in one piece, as they seem to be an important part of his bottle collecting apparatus.

If not, we're more than positive that the community will rally for Tom once again.