SUFFOLK, Va. - Casey Downey has a strong message to porch pirates everywhere: “Stop stealing stuff."
His Ring doorbell camera shows a woman stealing a box from his porch in Suffolk Thursday night, leaving behind several others.
“This time of year is tough, especially this close to Christmas, when you take something,” Downey told News 3 reporter Brian Hill. “It just kind of messes everything up because we are supposed to go out of town Saturday with those gifts.”
Now, Downey’s family will show up empty handed to their loved ones' house.
“There was a coffee mug and some electronics. Just some gifts,” he explained.
One of those electronics: An $1,100 laptop for Downey and his wife.
He joked to News 3 that it was a holiday gift to themselves to help with their landscaping business.
“We are trying to close our books out with our CPA. Obviously, without the laptop we can’t do that, so it will put us behind about two weeks," he mentioned.
As the thief is running away from the house, in the video you can clearly hear a neighbor yelling from his porch across the street trying to get the thief to stop.
That neighbor told us the woman hopped in a car and sped off.
“They’ll do it again. They’re not afraid, obviously, if they’re not afraid of anything,” the neighbor, who asked to not be identified, explained.
To avoid falling victim yourself, experts say try having the package delivered to a friend’s home, your job or a secure drop-off location.
You can also request a signature conformation.
“I will probably put a lock on the gate. I mean, we don’t have it because we’ve never had a problem,” Downey said.
Right now, he is waiting to see if UPS and Amazon will replace the missing laptop.
