Home security camera shows package thief
A surveilance camera installed outside a Hicksville home caught a man stealing a recently delivered holdiay package from the home's front steps. (Dec. 6, 2011) Credit: Handout
At first, John Blazich's wife blamed him for the Tuesday disappearance of a holiday package from their front steps -- until home surveillance video showed they were the victims of a drive-by snatcher.
"Even though he was driving pretty quickly, he was looking to his left and right, to look at people's steps I guess," the Hicksville resident said. "As soon as he saw there was a package on my step, he quickly jammed on the brakes, made a U-turn and came into my driveway.
"It was actually kind of comical to watch it. Fortunately nobody was hurt. It wasn't a particularly valuable package. It was just frustrating and annoying."
In 15 seconds, gone were the sweaters for his daughter and clothes for his friends' children, a delivery that joined the other packages seen in the snatcher's car, Blazich said. The thief remains at large.
Such doorstep thievery rises during the holiday season, said Nassau police and UPS officials. A decade ago, people usually had to sign for deliveries. Today most companies offer the convenience of leaving packages in an inconspicuous spot near the front door.
Blazich's story is a familiar one in this age of online shopping, said UPS spokeswoman Susan Rosenberg. Though no statistics are available, she said, the number of thefts has risen because there are more deliveries.
"It's been something that has happened as long as we've been delivering in residential areas," she said. Consumers "are using technology and ordering more deliveries to their homes."
For those who won't be home, Rosenberg suggests having deliveries made to a mail box center.
Nassau police believe the man who stole part of Blazich's Christmas may have followed a delivery truck.
People should be diligent about monitoring expected arrival times of their packages, said police spokeswoman Maureen Roach.
To avoid having a home-alone package, ask an at-home neighbor to pick it up, she suggested, or consider having items delivered to your workplace.
"If you order a package," she said, " . . . keep tracking it."
Blazich said he's not surprised by the theft, but "I wouldn't really allow this to ruin my Christmas."
