A man walked into a Northwest D.C. apartment building, slipped into the mail room, and walked out with a stack of packages that weren't his — and now police are asking the public to help put a name to his face. The theft happened in broad daylight on P Street NW, and months later, investigators still haven't identified a suspect.
D.C. police are asking for the public's help identifying the man accused of stealing multiple packages from the building, according to WUSA9. Police said the theft happened on August 10 at around 2:30 p.m. at the apartment building on P Street NW in Northwest Washington.
Caught on Camera, Then Gone
Surveillance video captured the suspect inside the building, according to the outlet's report. He went into the mail room, and investigators said he stole multiple packages before fleeing the area. How he managed to get into the building or the mail room in the first place remains unclear, the station reported.
No description of the suspect, details on what was stolen, or word of any arrest have been released as part of the case so far. Anyone with information is asked to contact police rather than confront the man themselves.
Package Theft Remains Common Citywide
The P Street case is just the latest in a string of similar reports across the District. In January, police in Southeast D.C. sought a suspected porch pirate after another package theft, according to FOX 5 DC. And last year, the Metropolitan Police Department announced an arrest in a separate package-theft case in the 1800 block of 6th Street NW, per a release from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The problem isn't unique to any one block. D.C. ranked fourth worst in the country for package theft in 2024, with more than $231 million in reported losses, according to a report cited by WJLA. That same report estimated the average stolen package was worth $204, and nationwide, about 120 million packages were swiped in 2023 alone — roughly 261,000 thefts a day.
Broader Crime Trends Mixed
Even so, the citywide picture on theft has been improving overall. Six of eight reported offense categories in D.C. declined during the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025, according to the Council on Criminal Justice. The group's mid-year analysis found the District's reported larceny rate was 18% lower than it was a year earlier, and 41% lower than it was back in 2019.
That data offers little comfort to residents dealing with stolen deliveries in the meantime. Anyone who can identify the man seen on the P Street surveillance footage, or who has information about the incident, is asked to call police at (202) 727-9099 or text a tip to the department's line at 50411.
