Last week, Nether Providence officers were alerted to an Upland Borough woman who admits she followed a delivery van and allegedly stole other people's packages as they were dropped off.
Officers confronted her.
"There are 22 items she has turned over to the police department and admitted that she removed those items from various residences," Nether Providence Police Chief David Splain said.
The items include J Crew sweaters, Adidas shoes, Pittsburgh Steelers socks, and towels.
A major problem is the addresses of the rightful owners were destroyed by the alleged thief.
"We were trying to solicit the public's assistance in identifying anybody may have ordered something has not received it yet," Splain said.
There are no national statistics concerning package thefts. But with more of us ordering online and more surveillance videos, there is no shortage of images posted YouTube showing people purportedly stealing others' packages.
From South Philadelphia to Boyertown to Seattle, Washington.
In quiet Nether Providence one neighbor is both upset and bemused by what occurred here.
"I think it's pretty scary, but I think it was novel thing to do, one way to shop, but it is stealing," Maryanne Fiebert said.
Both UPS and FedEx are now offering online management programs in an effort to minimize theft by reducing or eliminating the time a package is on a doorstep.
From narrowing delivery times, to having packages diverted to company stores for later pickup.
Anyone who thinks any of the packages may belong to them should contact Nether Providence police with proof.
