News

Actions

Watch: Porch pirate swipes Valentine’s Day gift from Norfolk home

Posted at 2:11 PM, Feb 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-02 17:45:12-05

NORFOLK, Va. - If you have any Valentine's Day gifts shipped to your house, beware. Porch pirates are looking for targets.

This week, a door bell cam outside a home in Norfolk caught a thief swiping a package right off his porch.

The theft happened Thursday and the man who posted the video to Facebook says the package was a Valentine's Day gift for his wife.

Police say just because the holiday season has come and gone doesn't mean thieves are any less vigilant.

"Christmastime has passed and we've got more holidays coming up, but that doesn't mean you still can't become a victim," said Officer Eddie Rodriguez with the Norfolk Police Crime Prevention Unit.

To protect yourself, police suggest taking your porch out of the equation for shipments.

"You want to contact your shipper, possibly give them instruction on what to do rather than leave the package on the porch," Officer Rodriguez said. "Utilize a neighbor that you know may be home, maybe have the package delivered to your workplace. A lot of companies are offering different opportunities to have the packages delivered to stores."

Police say larcenies are a part of everyday crime and they do what they can to help, but most of the help comes from the community.