A baby Jesus figurine which was stolen from a nativity scene has been returned to authorities alongside a hilarious note of contrition. 

The Jesus doll was anonymously dropped off at the local fire station four days after it vanished from a Christmas display in Fort Collins, Colorado.

‘I’m really sorry,’ a note read from the thief read. 

‘I made a dumb mistake in the moment, it won’t happen again.’

On December 17, local police released a photograph of a young person clutching baby Jesus in his hands.

‘This Grinch tried to ruin Christmas by stealing the Baby Jesus from the Old Town Square nativity scene,’ authorities wrote in a post sharing the picture widely. 

Locals were urged to report any further information about the suspect’s identity.

‘It’s a Christmas miracle,’ one person wrote after the doll’s safe return. ‘He just needed a little time with the Lord.’ 

Four days after the Jesus doll vanished from a Christmas display in Fort Collins, Colorado , it was anonymously dropped off at the local fire station

A baby Jesus figurine which was stolen from a nativity scene has been returned to authorities alongside a contrite note

On December 17, local police released a photograph of a young person clutching baby Jesus in his hands

Another suggested the thief had utilized Colorado’s safe haven laws.

In Colorado, fire stations are among ‘safe haven’ locations, where new parents can anonymously give up their unharmed newborn children without fear of criminal prosecution. 

‘Safe Haven Laws apparently also apply to plastic babies… including baby Jesus,’ one local wrote.

‘Reminder to destitute, expectant mothers worrying about how she’d care for her baby once they’re born, Safe Haven Laws allow mothers to drop babies at hospitals, police stations, fire stations, etc. with no questions asked.’