Philadelphia man calling for 'revolution' against porch pirates, police disapprove
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A man in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia believes he found a way to deter thieves from stealing packages from neighborhood porches.
Surveillance video shows a porch pirate striking in broad daylight, around 3 p.m., earlier this week.
The thief pulls up and takes the box from a home.
The Fairmount man, who did not want to be identified, watched the video with Action News and said, "He picked the box up and now he's walking over! There he goes (laughs)!"
It turned out, the man planted the box on a neighbor's porch and in just hours, it was stolen by the thief.
But the box didn't contain an Xbox, or an Instapot, or jewelry. No, it was filled with dog waste.
The man said he's hoping others join him in the practice. And others might. More than 100 people have posted their support for the bait box idea on the Nextdoor app.
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The man said, "Porch pirates beware. We have started a revolution, that's my message to you."
Philadelphia Police Staff Inspector Sekou Kinebrew said police do not approve of this man's method.
"The person that opens it, now they know where you live. They could retaliate, and throw it against your window," Kinebrew said.
But Kinebrew said in today's world, you simply cannot let deliveries unattended on your doorstep.
"Maybe your neighbor can intercept the package for you or just let it stay at FedEx or UPS," Kinebrew said.
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But after three packages were stolen on his street, the man who set the bait box isn't stopping.
"You have to fight back. What are you going to do, just lay down? Roll over? I'm personally not concerned about any retaliation," the man said.
