COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – The Columbus Division of Police is investigating three different thefts within a month where suspects took packages from the front of peoples’ homes.
The package thefts happened April 27, May 7 and May 23, according to CPD. All three targeted homes had security cameras on their front doors, and grabbed photos of different suspects in each case. Below are details about each of the thefts.
April 27
A man walked up to a home in the 200 block of South Warren Avenue, right after an Amazon truck dropped off two packages at the home. The man picked up both of the packages and walked off with them. CPD did not specify a time when the theft happened during the day, but asks anyone who recognizes the man to call one of its detectives at 614-645-1439.
May 7
At 12:56 a.m., a woman walked up to a home in the 2500 block of Deming Avenue, and stole a package and mail from the porch. She then ran away and got in a car waiting for her nearby. CPD asks anyone who recognizes the woman to call one of its detectives at 614-645-4035.
May 23
A man who looked to be between 35 and 45 years old walked up to a porch in the 1300 block of Briarwood Avenue. He picked up a package that had been delivered and walked off with it. CPD did not specify a time when the theft happened during the day, but asks anyone who recognized the man to call one of its detectives at 614-645-4035.
NBC4 reached out to CPD and asked if the string of package thefts from April into May could be indicative of a summer rise in porch pirate incidents, but it has not responded as of Thursday afternoon. Columbus police previously searched for other porch pirates during the holiday season. One thief made off with a package worth several hundred dollars on Dec. 1, and another took a package on Dec. 29.
In a 2019 statistics report, C+R Research said as many as 36% of Americans surveyed had a package stolen from their porch. Of that group, 25% said they bought a camera to prevent further thefts, and only 13% said they called the police. Some delivery companies, like UPS, are also now offering insurance specifically against porch pirates for small packages.
