Passports stolen from SEPTA bus returned after police offer amnesty to thief

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Passports stolen from a Colombian family on a SEPTA bus have been returned.

The victims, Ximena Estrada and her children, have been in the country for the past two months visiting family and sightseeing.

Ximena says she had left the passports in a bag on a Route 58 bus on Thursday.

"My son asked me where my bag was, my backpack, and then I realized I didn't have it," Estrada said. "The nightmare started."

SEPTA says video captured a man taking the bag before getting off the bus at Bustleton Avenue and Strahle Street.

Police had offered amnesty to the man if he returned the passports by Monday. And Sunday morning Estrada told Action News that the passports, along with jewelry and a cell phone that were in the bag, have all been returned.

Now, Estrada and her children will be able to take their scheduled trip back to Colombia on Tuesday.