RICHMOND, Va. -- Before the sun rose one Sunday morning, Richmond Police said a man in flip flops stole someone's package right off a front porch. The crime happened Sunday, December 13 at 6 a.m.
"Detectives need help to identify another man who is suspected of stealing packages from porches," a Richmond Police spokesman said. "The suspect was captured on home security video taking a package from a porch of a home on North Boulevard. He is described as a black male wearing dark pants, a blue jacket and flip flops. The video shows him leaving the area on foot."
Anyone with information about the crime was asked to call Third Precinct Detective Eric Sandlin at 804-646-1010 or call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000.
Package stealing arrest
Paul J. Fox, Jr.
Over the weekend, Richmond police arrested the suspect in another package theft that was caught on camera. 53-year-old Paul J. Fox, Jr. was arrested and charged with taking a package from a home in the lower Randolph neighborhood.
Stealing packages is a crime of opportunity, police said. They warned online shopper to take precautions. Tuesday was expected to be a peak delivery day for freight carriers. UPS estimated the company would deliver 36 million packages on Tuesday. That is more than double a typical delivery day.
"Detectives suggest not having packages delivered to your home when you are not available to receive them," police said. "This creates an opportunity for someone to steal your parcels. Detectives suggest having packages delivered to your place of business or to a trusted neighbor."
