A bold thief struck just moments after a high-value package was delivered to a homeowner's porch, making off with the valuable item in a matter of seconds.
The incident took place in Pennsylvania, where a homeowner, identified only as Henry, was left in disbelief as he watched the thief steal the package that contained six iPhones for his family worth thousands of dollars.
CCTV footage showed the thief swiftly snatching the package while Henry was bending over to retrieve it. The daring robber then hurriedly fled the scene, heading towards a waiting sedan parked nearby.
At that time, Henry had no opportunity to react as the thief swiftly grabbed his package and quickly fled the scene.
Remarkably, the delivery driver appeared unbaffled by the bold theft and did not pursue the robber or offer any support to Henry, despite witnessing the entire event.
He noticed that the same sedan had driven past his house moments before the theft, leading him to believe that the thief had specifically targeted the package.
“Once he gets in the back of the car, he just flew up the street. Now every time you open the door for delivery, you have to watch out," he admitted.
According to Henry, he suspects that the thief had prior knowledge about the contents of the package and specifically targeted the iPhones.
Additionally, shortly after the delivery was made, Henry also received a suspicious phone call.
The caller claimed to be from a scammer who instructed him to return the phones.
Sensing something wrong, Henry mentioned that the iPhones had been stolen. As soon as he mentioned this, the caller immediately ended the call, leaving Henry even more baffled.
'That's kind of weird too. Both of them happened at the same time,' Henry expressed his puzzle.
In 2023 alone, an estimated $6.3 billion worth of items were stolen from doorsteps, marking a 5% increase from the previous year.
To combat this growing issue, new laws have been implemented to impose stricter penalties on repeat offenders and those involved in stealing higher-value packages.
Doorstep theft can now be classified as a third-degree felony if the value of the stolen item exceeds a certain threshold or if the accused thief has prior convictions related to such crimes.
Law enforcement agencies and delivery services are also working together to address this issue by implementing additional security measures and raising awareness among homeowners.
