Thieves are on the lookout for packages left on doorsteps this Holiday Season

On Cyber Monday, a lot of people shopped online, now a few days later, thieves are shopping door steps. Packages are disappearing and police have already caught one pair of culprits. This is an annual problem some even saying Cyber Monday is followed by so called "Stolen Package Thursday."

Sales this past Monday topped $3,000,000,000 so it's no surprise to see mail carriers with arm loads of packages. Unfortunately thieves have their handful this time of year too.

“You feel violated. It’s disturbing that someone would come on your property,” said Mike Radovich who has some packages stolen from his Roseville home.

Radovich captured a woman on his residential surveillance camera pulling up and walking away with boxes filled with ice skates and clothing from his front door step. More than a month later there is still no arrest and Radovich is still fighting with one of the retailers to refund or replace his stolen items.

 

 “I'm having packages delivered to my work now to stop this from happening again in the future.,” Radovich said.

 

Thursday three Christmas presents disappeared off another front stoop in Roseville. The owner says $130 worth of Amazon purchases for her kids are gone.

“It's sad, but right now this is a big opportunity for the crooks” said Crystal Police Chief Doug Leslin.

Crystal Police are warning homeowners after they caught two teenagers stealing a UPS package Tuesday -- thanks in large part to some observant neighbors.

“All of a sudden he ran up to the house two doors down and when he came running back down he had a package in his hand, so it was pretty obvious,” said Mike Wiggins who was the one who called the cops on the teens.

Just like all the others, Crystal Police say they are crimes of opportunity and with the U.S. Post Office expecting to deliver 600 million packages this holiday season all of them are tempting to thieves regardless of the cost of the items inside.  

Police say their best advice is to get packages delivered to work if you can or ask a neighbor who is home during the day to keep a look out for your package.      

Also try making arraignments to require a signature for your package, or have them sent to a P.O. box.