Ohio porch pirate swipes package before delivery driver even leaves home: VIDEO

Monday, June 10, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio. -- The hunt is on for a brazen thief who made off with a delivery just seconds after it was dropped off as law enforcement tries to crack down on these so-called porch pirates.

This week in Columbus, Ohio, a FedEx driver had just rang the doorbell with a delivery when a thief ran up from behind, grabbed the package and took off down the driveway.

The FedEx worker was left stunned, and the thief got away with Kyle Dorsch's brand new Apple Watch.

"I was shocked. I mean, I thought maybe it was a joke at first," Dorsch said.

Dorsch, who was home at the time, says the thief wasn't deterred in the slightest by the presence of the FedEx worker or his doorbell camera.



"They said it's been happening a lot in our area, so, you know, I just feel bad. It's a lot of people, including ourselves, work hard to get the things we have and for them just to be taken," Dorsch said.

Near Philadelphia, police are looking for porch pirates dressed as delivery drivers. A doorbell camera caught one man, pretending to be an Amazon worker, swiping a package containing a new iPhone just four minutes after it was dropped off.

The area has been dealing with a number of thieves pretending to be Amazon employees.

The retail giant telling ABC News in this statement that, "While the vast majority of deliveries make it to customers without issue, we recognize that, unfortunately, there are bad actors who wear Amazon-branded or look-alike apparel to commit package theft. We encourage anyone who's been a victim of package theft to report it to the police, and we'll work with law enforcement to help as much as possible."

A U.S. Chamber of Commerce survey reports the average price of stolen packages is just over $80. Nearly half of those thefts are from single-unit homes, and 22% of theft victims had a doorbell camera. A quarter of victims say they never received a refund.



Meanwhile, Florida is trying to use the law to discourage thieves. It is now a third-degree felony there to steal anything from a home worth more than $40 in value.

Delivery companies are also stepping up security, using unmarked drivers and offering secure lockboxes in some cases.
Copyright © 2024 WPVI-TV. All Rights Reserved.