OKC Residents Believe Porch Pirates Are Tailing Delivery Drivers

Residents in a metro neighborhood believe porch pirates may be tailing Amazon drivers. At least two people in Quail Creek recently had their packages swiped from their porches, within minutes of delivery. 

Neighbors say recently they've been plagued with thieves, some of them targeting their cars, while others are taking their mail. They're hoping surveillance videos will lead to their arrests.

“He just walked right up, cigarette hanging out, looked right in the camera and walked away. That’s pretty brazen,” said Quail Creek resident Larry Thorpe.

Thorpe lives in this neighborhood and is hoping the combination of policing, watchful neighbors and video will help to deter theft.

“It just has to stop. It’s not good for society, it’s not good for the neighborhood,” said Thorpe.

Just five minutes after a couple of Amazon packages containing batteries and a toothbrush were delivered, they were picked up by a man and a passenger in a blue sedan.

“This package thief trend that is going on right now is just a crime of opportunity. They are driving around looking for packages on people’s front porches or they are looking for an easy target, like a van driving around,” said Oklahoma City Police spokesperson Megan Morgan. 

Thorpe says with thieves lurking, he's invested in a doorbell camera that alerts him to his deliveries.

“Amazon is pretty good with ringing the doorbell, so it chimes to all of our mobile devices if we are not right there,” said Thorpe.

Police say any camera technology is a great investment and is beneficial to home owners and the community as a whole.

“There has been a huge increase in being able to solve crimes for investigators as far as these cameras go. The quality of them is just amazing,” said Morgan.

Police say a good rule of thumb, “see something, say something.”

According to neighbors, two burglars were arrested Thursday morning after a neighbor reported suspicious activity.