MARYSVILLE, Wash. — As the holiday shopping season kicks off with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, residents are being warned to stay vigilant against porch pirates.
Eric Hall recently became a victim of this crime when a thief brazenly stole a package from his porch.
“He crossed the window, looked at us in the window and came up on the porch and took a package that I didn’t know was up there at the time,” Hall said.
He was home with his children when the incident occurred and initially mistook the thief for a delivery person. The theft was captured on camera, showing the suspect walking up to the door, taking the package, and fleeing.
“It was pretty brazen so it was different than a normal package theft that I’ve been through,” Hall said.
He described the experience as frightening, noting that the thief appeared to have something in his waistband. “A package you can always replace it, it’s not worth it, especially with this guy which I didn’t know what he had underneath his waistband so it wasn’t worth it for me to approach him,” Hall added.
Hall reported the theft to the Marysville Police Department. Police have recorded 49 stolen property offenses this year, up from 39 in all of 2023. Officials warn that thieves often exploit the holiday season to steal items from porches.
“I talked to my neighbor she said she’s going to have a lot of packages delivered because of the packages coming up so their heightened awareness is a little higher because of what happened here,” Hall said.
Authorities advise residents to remain vigilant and keep track of delivery schedules to prevent package thefts.