NEWTON COUNTY, Ga. — As package deliveries spike during the holiday season, police are investigating a growing number of package thefts.
“He drove all the way up in my driveway, actually walked up to my porch, grabbed both packages and ran off,” said Gianna Gordon.
Gordon, who lives in Covington, was at work this week, when she heard an alert on her phone. She looked and saw a live stream from her porch camera of a man swiping hundreds of dollars’ worth of Christmas gifts from her front door.
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“I’m very angry cause I watched it. I actually watched him do this on the footage while I was working. There was nothing I could do at work.” said Gordon.
Gordon says her porch camera recorded a FedEx driver making a delivery, and a short time later, another package delivery from a mail carrier. Minutes later, the porch pirate rushes up to steal the package. She suspects the thief tailed the trucks into her neighborhood and watched them deliver the packages.
“Police told me they have been getting reports of drivers dropping off packages and within minutes, like what happened to me, people are walking up and taking the packages off of the porches.” said Gordon.
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Gordon said she is working with online retailers to get them to reimburse her for the stolen merchandise or send a replacement.
She has also had advice for people ordering goods online for home delivery.
“Try to be home when you have deliveries scheduled, if you can or try to have them routed to a place where they are more secure,” said Gordon.
Capitol One Bank says porch piracy is soaring. A report estimates that package theft resulted in $30 billion in losses in 2022.
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