ALLENTOWN, Pa. – People who live in downtown Allentown’s 8th ward say there’s a big problem with porch pirates.
Those who live on the 700 block of West Green Street told 69 News they’re fed up.
Johnelsy Rodriguez was warned about the problem the day she moved in with her boyfriend.
“He just told me to be aware of whatever you order to the house, be careful because people could come up and take it and if you order something big, put it in the post office,” Rodriguez said.
Most residents have cameras, but Rodriguez told us they aren’t deterring the culprits.
“You can’t catch them through a camera. You can’t run after them, you can’t tell them nothing through a camera,” Rodriguez stated.
John Collazo-Romas just wants the stealing to stop.
“Don’t do it. What comes around, goes around. It’s karma, just a matter of time,” Collazo-Romas cautioned.
Isamareal Rosa said she’s gone as far as no longer ordering packages to her home.
“Right now, I have one month without buying nothing on Amazon or Shein,” Rosa explained.
Her mom had a big Amazon purchase stolen from their porch.
“She checked the cameras and there was a man all covered so it didn’t show the face,” Rosa recalled.
A fourth resident posted on social media that she found her opened boxes in a nearby alleyway.
Allentown police told 69 News that unfortunately they get many complaints about porch pirates. They encourage residents who have video of packages being stolen to file a police report.