Caught on Camera: Porch pirates hit West Palm Beach neighborhoods
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — Porch pirates are being recorded on doorbell cameras hitting West Palm Beach neighborhoods just minutes after delivery drivers leave. It seems at least one of these individuals might have been trailing the delivery truck as it was making stops, snatching boxes before residents even noticed they arrived.
Multiple people posted their videos to the Nextdoor app, warning neighbors to stay on the lookout. But in situations like this, West Palm Beach Police officers said there is a resource available you can use to report it, called SaferWatch.
Just minutes after Kevin Williams received a delivery notification from Amazon, he got another alert. This time it was from his Ring doorbell camera.
"12:59 p.m. And my package got delivered at 12:53 p.m.," Williams said.
Video shows a man in a hat and sunglasses going right up to Williams’ door in the Lakeside Green area of West Palm Beach.
"He looked very suspicious," Williams said. "He put his palm on the actual handle, rather than grabbing it and opening it. He actually came in my screen door and took the package and scurried away."
Williams told CBS12 News what the thief stole was thankfully nothing worthwhile.
"He didn't steal anything crazy. He stole plant food and he stole a pump sprayer to feed those plants," Williams said.
See also: Inflation drives food pantries to waiting lists as demand climbs in Delray Beach
But when he took his video to the Nextdoor app, he was surprised to see he wasn’t the only one who got hit.
"Everyone was just messaging me hey, this guy stole my package too," Williams said.
A similar situation was seen earlier this week in the Flamingo Park Historic area. A video posted on Nextdoor shows a man snatching packages before the sun came up.
Instances like this are what West Palm Beach Police are asking residents to send into the Saferwatch app.
"We say see something, say something. With Saferwatch, it’s actually see something show something because they can send in photos they can send in videos, and it goes right into our dispatch center. And ultimately, our real-time crime center," West Palm Beach Police Spokesperson Mike Jachles said.
It's a quick response to non-life-threatening crimes.
Saferwatch is not a replacement for 911. But this is a good way to report non-emergencies like suspected porch pirates or suspicious activity. You’re able to send in photos and videos immediately, rather than waiting for police to respond in person.