A thief in Indiana was caught on surveillance video stealing a package from a front porch in broad daylight.
The crime was captured on video on Tuesday afternoon, March 27, on Gray Arbor Drive in Indianapolis.
Andrew Upton and Jennifer Hall installed two surveillance cameras outside their home but never thought they'd be used to solve a crime.
Then a package of a rare fish they were expecting didn’t arrive despite a notification stating the package had been delivered.
They checked the tape and saw the crime.
The thief pulled up just five minutes after the 12:50 p.m. delivery and stole the package, which was delivered by FedEx, off the porch.
“It’s not a good feeling. It kind of makes me not want to trust people anymore,” Hall said.
A rare black snowflake clownfish was in the package, bought by Upton for his son.
“It’s just scary that it is happening not only in this area but in general that people are taking packages that people have spent their money on,” said Upton.
The couple has placed calls to local pet stores, warning them that anyone trying to sell such a fish would likely be the thief.
The outlet said ways to protect packages include letting the courier drop them off inside your home, although that comes with its own security concerns, or to install security cameras.
Other options include having packages delivered to a lockbox and instructing the package delivery companies where you'd like the packages dropped if you’re not home, such as your back door, with a building superintendent, or with a neighbor.
“You also can have deliveries diverted to another address—maybe your workplace—or placed on hold if you’re on vacation. UPS provides a list of local partner merchants, such as UPS stores, pharmacies, and convenience stores, that have agreed to accept deliveries on a recipient’s behalf,” stated Consumer Reports.
“Another option is to have items sent to a retailer’s walk-in store for pickup, which may help you save on shipping fees. Many of these services are free, but some come with a fee. For example, UPS charges $5 if you make an online request to redirect a package to a different location.”
