Video surveillance shows a porch pirate in Kamloops' Sagebrush neighbourhood making off with children's Christmas gifts on Dec. 19, 2022.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED
December 22, 2022 - 7:30 AM
A Kamloops Grinch took his opportunity this week, sneaking off with family Christmas gifts from a downtown porch.
The Amazon package was delivered that day, Dec. 19, but the family didn't have a chance to take it inside as they were entertaining guests.
By 9:40 p.m., a box with gifts for the kids was swiped and surveillance footage captured the porch pirate in the act.
"It was such a brazen thing for that person to do because if we were paying attention and not playing cards with family, we would have seen the notification that somebody is on our front porch," the homeowner said.
The homeowner, who lives on the 1100 block of Pine Street in Sagebrush, said she didn't want to be identified publicly, fearing possible retaliation.
READ MORE: Porch pirate 'bait-packages' not in the cards for Kelowna RCMP
Surveillance footage shows the porch pirate walking up the front steps to swipe the package, then head off across the street. Their face is concealed, but the homeowners reported the incident to Kamloops RCMP once they saw the footage.
The package included a gift for her from her husband and some for their children.
"The sad thing is they're probably not going to use the items they got," adding Amazon did refund the family for the roughly $80-worth of items.
READ MORE: How to proceed when porch pirates pinch your packages
Kamloops RCMP are also looking for a suspect who was involved in a break in that morning, Dec. 19, who might have been involved in another porch theft earlier this month, according to a news release.
The homeowner wondered if it was the same person, but she found it difficult to even guess because the suspect's face is covered in both surveillance images.
This is the second time in a few years someone stole items from their porch on Pine Street. The first time prompted them to get surveillance cameras in the first place.
With online purchasing so prevalent now, iNFOnews.ca has tips here for anyone who has fallen victim to porch thefts or is looking for information in case it happens in the future.
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