8-year-old N.C. State fan distraught after his beloved foam finger stolen at basketball game

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Jacob Snyder was looking forward to undefeated N.C. State's game Tuesday night against St. Peter's.

His favorite part of the game? "Where they win or lose ... and all the snacks," he replied.

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The Wolfpack took care of the former, defeating St. Peter's 85-57 behind a huge first half.

Jacob went to the game as part of his birthday gift. Just as his night was set to wrap up, he realized he was missing his beloved foam finger.

"His aunt first gave that to him when he was 2 years old and she was a student at NC State. She's since graduated and moved to Scotland, and the two are very close," said Emily Drain, Jacob's mother.

The foam finger included signatures from several NC State football and basketball stars, as well as football coach Dave Doeren.

They began searching around the seats and places they stopped throughout the night.

"(We) ran into a security guard who said he actually saw someone pick it up and walk off with it. And at that point, there wasn't much we could do," Drain said.

After finding out the news, Drain said Jacob was hysterical.

A member of the guest relations team assisted the family, setting up a special meet-and-greet for Jacob with two Wolfpack players.

"That was extremely helpful. It didn't fix the entire situation, but at least it did show there are good people trying to help him," Drain said.

After a family member posted about the incident online, a fan reached out and offered Jacob their extra foam finger. Drain said the family has plans to attend another game in the future to make up for Tuesday night's experience.