Boston's Dorchester neighborhood is being hit by a wave of brash daytime thefts, with package thieves caught on camera swiping deliveries in plain sight. Local resident Ally Burchill experienced the nerve of these criminals firsthand when she discovered her porch barren, the anticipated shoes for her child gone.
Seeking answers, Burchill's review of her security tapes revealed two thieves, one with a shopping cart, boldly liberating goods from her condo's porch. Despite the presence of surveillance signs, these brazen acts were carried out as if to mock the very notion of privacy or ownership. "It was bold," Burchill relayed to NBC Boston. “The time of day they did it.”
The footage chronicled by Burchill's security system on Dix Street uncovers an unsettling picture of the theft. A pair of men—one looks around, the other waiting with a cart teeming with unidentified items—approach her home. They snatch about five packages before retreating, a scene reflected in Burchill's frustrated statement to WCVB. "They came up with masks and just didn't care," she said. The lack of fear — a shrug to the consequence of being reported — showcases a chilling disregard by the perpetrators.
This episode of theft is not an isolated incident for Burchill, who shared a video from a year prior depicting an eerily similar trespass. In this earlier invasion, another individual ascends her steps to pilfer several parcels unchallenged. "Doesn't seem like there's a fear of any retaliation of people reporting them or anything like that," Burchill told WCVB, her voice tinged with exasperation. Hoping for a break in the case, she yearns that someone will recognize the culprits from the new surveillance video and notify the authorities.
The persistence of these porch pirates flies in the face of homeowner defenses, questioning whether signs or cameras can deter those who stalk deliveries with impunity. As Boston police continue to investigate this spate of package thievery, the residents of Dorchester are left to wonder about the security of their doorsteps and how many more might fall victim to these daylight bandits.
