45-year-old man caught hiding in Best Buy overnight to be early Pokemon card release - Dexerto

Pokemon{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":}]}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":}]}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":}]}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":}]}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":}]}45-year-old man caught hiding in Best Buy overnight to be early Pokemon card releasebyMichael GwilliamPublished: Apr 30, 2026, 14:38Save for laterSave for laterBest Buy/PokemonGet Notifications for Pokemon TCG News A 45-year-old California man has been arrested ahead of a Pokemon card release at Best Buy after he found a way to stay in the store overnight once it closed. The Pokemon card craze that started in the 90s has shown no signs of slowing down and it seems like there’s a new wild story unfolding every week. The cards have proven to be incredibly valuable, with some selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars and scalpers have gone to great lengths to get their hands on Pokemon TCG collectables. We’ve seen brawls and countless altercations involving fans in line to collect the cards, but one man is going viral for skipping the line completely only to be arrested. As reported by NBC, shortly after 1 AM on April 29, police were called to a Best Buy after employees noticed a man inside the store while monitoring a live feed. Once the police arrived, they received help from an employee to get inside and arrested 45-year-old Patrick Keys for burglary. 🚨 Pasadena, CA — A man allegedly hid INSIDE a Best Buy overnight for a Pokémon drop… and got arrested.Employees spotted him on cameras after 1AM. Police responded.Camping is one thing… but this?? 👀#PokeStreetz #BestBuy #PokemonTCG #TCGNews pic.twitter.com/ydFsY6u1CM Numerous Pokemon fans had been camping outside the Best Buy for the 151 drop and were baffled by what they saw and indicated to NBC that the man was trying to get the cards before everyone else. “I was just here for some Pokemon drop, but I went to the restroom. Not even 15 minutes, and there was cops everywhere,” one said. While staying in a store after closing for Pokemon cards is creative, we have seen numerous instances of robbers breaking into card shops. Pokemon fan goes viral after being gifted vintage 1999 pack from boss Police carry out major sting operation to catch serial Pokemon card robber Pokemon scammers arrested for using bags of paper to buy $320K worth of cards Earlier in 2026, thieves made off with around $180,000 worth of Pokemon cards after tunneling through the wall of a California collectibles store in an overnight burglary.