NORFOLK, Va. — About $500 worth of Christmas gifts was allegedly stolen from a Norfolk porch on Thursday evening, but the very next morning, they were returned, according to a Norfolk mother.
Laurel Masters says that a woman came to her porch a little before 5 p.m. Thursday and walked away with multiple packages. Masters says they got a notification including a photo from the delivery driver about an hour before that.
“It was our first time having a porch pirate,” said Masters. “It was not a great feeling at all - like a loss of power kind of feeling; nothing you can do about it.”
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Though she did do something about it. She says she filed a police report and also posted video of the alleged thief on social media.
“I was just determined to put their face everywhere, because I figured somebody’s got to know this person,” she said.
Masters added that she wasn’t going to be able to replace the gifts in time for the holidays.
“It was super frustrating because my eldest was aware of what happened. “So, she was like ‘Well, the Grinch came.’ And I said, ‘Yeah, he does come for Christmas. You’re not wrong.’”
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Then about 8:15 Friday morning, she said a gentleman stopped by and pulled out a large bag that contained all of her packages.
“He said that he had found them, found somebody with them, and wanted to return them,” explained Masters. “And we are incredibly thankful for that.”
She added, “My daughter was super excited! She was in the car and was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Those are my gifts!”
Masters stated that she’s a firm believer in the use of technology and feels they might not have been returned without the help of her neighbors, many of whom saw her post.
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“The camera in and of itself, just to catch their face, was a huge help, trying to identify them.”
Many police departments have come to rely on video from homeowners and business owners to aid in their investigations.
The City of Norfolk says its residents and business owners can register their camera systems with the Norfolk Police Department by visiting connectnorfolk.org.
Virginia Beach Police Department also invites residents and business owners to register and/or integrate their security cameras with the department’s Keep Virginia Beach Safe initiative.
