A shocking video shows the moment a brazen "porch pirate" swiped a package from a person's doorstep in front of the FedEx driver who delivered it.
It was posted to the Columbus, Ohio, subreddit on Monday, June 3, and quickly garnered hundreds of upvotes and comments, according to the Columbus Dispatch, part of USA TODAY Network.
In the video captured by a doorbell security camera, a FedEx delivery driver approaches the front door of a home with a small package in hand.
He scans it and sets it down, and seconds later, a hooded man wearing a face mask grabs the package and jogs off while the driver stands stunned.
"He just took your package," the driver says as the homeowner comes outside.
Porch pirates:Watch: 'Delivery' man wearing fake Amazon vest steals package from Massachusetts home
A spokesperson for FedEx did not comment on this specific case of porch piracy but instead highlighted the company's efforts to combat the practice.
"In recent years we’ve introduced innovative visibility technologies to give our customers added peace of mind when it comes to the reliable delivery of their packages," FedEx spokesperson Francesca Sacco told the Dispatch in an e-mail. "These tools have proven very helpful in combating porch piracy and improving the overall customer experience."
According to the post, the package thief drove off in a blue Honda with no license plates.
Inside the package was an Apple Watch ordered by the poster from AT&T. They later found it being sold on Facebook by a woman whose profile says she works at FedEx.
"The accomplice took the photos in his car, and she posted them on her profile on the sale. They are not the brightest bunch," the original poster wrote in the replies.
During an interview with WSYX, homeowner Kyle Dorsch said the suspect "swooped in real quick" and grabbed the package in the middle of the day.
“It just seems unbelievable,” Dorsch added. “Didn’t feel real. It still hasn’t set in yet.”
Police said package thefts are becoming more common, and perpetrators target small packages with smaller devices inside in hopes of selling them, per the report. In some instances, police believe suspects are using tracking numbers to find the packages.
At least 44 million people, or 17% of the American population, had a package stolen during a three-month period near the end of 2023, according to the most recently available data from security.org. And 44% of Americans have been the victim of porch piracy at least once during their lifetime, according to another survey from security.org.
Similar incidents are happening in other states, too. In Massachusetts, a man was captured on camera wearing a fake Amazon vest and taking a package from someone's front porch in broad daylight last month.