Package theft from Ridge stoop has homeowner wary

Keep your friends close and your packages closer.

While Bay Ridge statistically may be among New York City’s safer neighborhoods, one resident is sounding the alarm after two of his packages – one from Macy’s and one from Amazon – were stolen directly from his porch.

According to the Narrows Avenue resident, who reached out to this paper, Ridge residents should be on high alert.

“I think the Bay Ridge community should know about this,” said Richard Villar, who provided us with surveillance footage of a man walking up to his stoop on September 8, the day the packages disappeared, bending down and examining what is clearly a Macy’s package and walking down with a full shopping bag, with the Macy’s package no longer visible on the stoop where it had previously been. “I did talk to some delivery drivers in our area and found out that it’s been happening recently. [One of the driver’s] said ‘it’s not even Christmas time yet.’”

According to Villar, who now gets his packages delivered to his office in Sunset Park, a report of the theft was filed with the 68th Precinct soon after the incident. Officers told him detectives would be in touch.

Villar mentioned that he believes more than one person might be responsible because he thinks he saw the person in the video with two others in the neighborhood.

“We saw them a day later walking around Bay Ridge looking around to see if there were any deliveries,” he said.

Contacted for comment, Captain Joseph Hayward, the commanding officer of the 68th Precinct, said that the incident is currently being investigated. While this is not the first such occurrence in the precinct, he said, “We don’t have any pattern.”

About a month ago, Hayward said, a woman was arrested for stealing a package from outside a home, and he said there had been “several over the past couple of months,” though often the victims don’t know their packages have been taken till they contact the shipper to ask where their package is, and find out it has already been delivered. Such incidents, “Pop up sometimes, then they disappear,” Hayward added.

Nonetheless, with the holidays coming, Hayward warned residents to take precautions. “Usually, they [the perpetrators] follow the trucks,” he stressed. “Be vigilant. Tell the delivery services not to leave packages that haven’t been signed for.”

Helen Klein contributed reporting to this article.

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