TUCSON (KGUN9-TV) - In February, a man was caught on camera stealing package left at the doorstep of Dennis Vroegh's home on the east side.
The camera is built into the doorbell of his home and will start recording when it senses motion. He uses teh service called ring.com. On a Saturday last month, it started recording when a man walked up to his door.
In the video, you can see the man bend down, take the package left at the door, then walk back to his car. He returned to ring the doorbell and that is when Vroegh got a notification on his phone through ring.com while he was with friends in Sierra Vista.
"Hello," said Vroegh through his phone.
The man at the door could hear Vroegh through the doorbell. He asked if they needed lawn service but Vroegh declined. His friends were curious as to how the doorbell worked so he pulled up the video just recorded from the doorbell.
"We noticed the guy had taken a package from our front door that had been delivered by the postal service," said Vroegh.
He immediately called Tucson Police and came back to Tucson.
He could tell the man was driving a grey vehicle and neighbors said he was still in the area. Later, Vroegh found the man a few blocks away and confronted him.
"I said 'You took a package from my house and I want it back.' He said 'Yes sir, I have it right here.' He opened up the back door and grabbed the package out," said Vroegh.
He was able to get the package back, but the man who took it was able to get away before police could arrive.
So what was in the package? $14 worth of Keurig coffee filters.
Even though he has the package, Vroegh would still like this person to be caught for stealing his mail, a federal offense. After this experience, he has a message for thieves.
"You never know who is watching you, or what is watching you."
Package theft is common during the holiday season where people have gifts delivered to their doors, but Tucson police say it can happen any time. You may want to ask a neighbor to pick up a package for you if you are not home, or you can arrange to pick it up at the delivery service's store.
