'It happened so quickly' | Package stolen from Arlington driveway less than 30 minutes after it was delivered

2 months ago 4

It happened around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning near the intersection of N Wakefield St & 23rd Rd N in Arlington.

ARLINGTON, Va. — These days you can order just about anything and have it delivered to your home in a matter of hours. That convenience comes with a price, more risk of becoming a victim of package theft.

"I was notified by FedEx a little before 10 a.m. that they'd delivered a package to my front door," said Paul Neureiter.

He told WUSA9 that he got a notification that his package was delivered, along with a photo of the package on his doorstep.

"About 40 minutes later my wife went out to pick up the package and it wasn't there," he explained.

He says he asked the neighbors if their camera captured anything, and sure enough, their doorbell camera captured the entire ordeal.

In the video, you can see the FedEx delivery driver drop off the package at 9:48 a.m. At around 10:20 a.m. you can see the driver of a white vehicle pull up. Someone gets out of the car, walks up the driveway, takes the package, and leaves.

"The fact that it happened so quickly after the delivery happened seems to indicate to me that they were following the truck or had other information that something was being delivered," said Neureiter.

"I certainly think it needs to be brought to people's attention," said Barney Maloney, who lives nearby.

He told WUSA9 he was a little surprised there was a theft in the neighborhood, but not too surprised that it was a package theft.

"We've sort of come to like deliveries whether it's food, pizza or cat food," said Maloney.

The issue of package theft is nothing new.

A homeowner in Springfield shared a video with WUSA9 that showed their package being stolen just seconds after being delivered back in April.

In July, Fairfax County Police told WUSA9 they were investigating package thefts. Surveillance videos shared with WUSA9 captured a man wearing what appeared to be an Amazon vest stealing packages soon after they were delivered.

Neureiter says this is a reminder to take extra precautions when having higher-priced items delivered.

"I think we have to continue to ask for signatures when they get delivered and really be ready and be prepared to get a signature when it's something of that value," he said.

If you have any information about who stole his package, call Arlington County Police.

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