STERLING HEIGHTS (WWJ) -- No. You can't just go and help yourself to some plants from inside the soon-to-be demolished Lakeside Mall.
WWJ's Mike Campbell reports there was a social media post over the weekend that said people could go to the nearly empty mall in Sterling Heights and take any plant for free, because Lakeside is closing in just a few weeks.
Campbell spoke with Sterling Heights Police Lt. Mario Bastianelli who says the post, which has been shared hundreds of times on Facebook, is a fake.
The plants aren't up for grabs, Bastianelli said, and it will be stealing if you take them.
"Sometimes people read or see stuff on social media like, 'Oh, that's true,'
and people are starting to show up at Lakeside," Bastianelli said.
"So... we want to obviously just inform anybody, just make sure nobody gets in trouble: Don't go there, take things that aren't yours. It's not free for the taking."
Campbell admitted he himself saw the post and forwarded it to his wife, who has a green thumb. Thankfully, Mrs. Campbell opted not to go get some of the greenery, which grows around seating areas and under escalators in the nearly empty shopping center.
About social medial posts like this one, promising free items, Bastianelli said there's a handy rule to keep in mind: "If it appears too good to be true, it probably is, right?"
The owners of Lakeside Mall, along with local officials, announced in May that the mall at M-59 and Schoenherr Rd. will shut down for good on July 1, 2024.
Eventually, the building — or at least the majority of it — will be demolished to make way for a new project at the site.
Groundbreaking for the mixed use development dubbed "Lakeside Town Center" is scheduled for late 2025.
MORE >> Lakeside Mall in Sterling Heights will close July 1