SOUTH BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Online shopping offers the convenience of having your purchases sent right to your home. So when Paul Alabisi's neighbor told him Saturday a package had arrived at his South Buffalo home, he expected to see it right outside his front door.
"I went out to to get the package and when I came out there was no package," Alabisi said. "At first I thought maybe he was playing a game with me or something and when I went and reviewed the footage of my camera..."
Paul Alabisi found a grey Ford Escape backing up after driving past Alabisi's home on Payne Avenue. The driver then got out, walked across the front lawn, and stole the package in broad daylight. The package was placed on the front edge of Alabisi's porch. He says he believes if the package was tucked into the corner of the porch instead, the thief never would have seen it.
United States Postal Service Spokesperson, Karen Mazurkiewicz says some tips for protecting your packages are putting your mail on hold if you're away, getting it off the porch as soon as you see it's delivered, having someone else get it off your porch if you won't be home, or having it delivered to work. USPS says the biggest spike in package thefts happens during the holiday season, but that this is a crime all about opportunity. One of the biggest online shopping days of the year, Amazon Prime Day, is just two weeks away.
"It's becoming a more and more frequent crime because people's shopping habits have changed so much," Mazurkiewicz said.
Alabisi is hopeful someone will recognize the "porch pirate" who hit his home. The thief did not get away with a treasure chest, but a part to a vent.
