Surveillance footage from August 5. A man enters an Upper West Side building with a bunch of empty boxes.
There have been quite a few recent reports of packages getting stolen from building lobbies. In July, about $80 worth of dog food was stolen from a building on West End Avenue. In some cases, like this one from May, suspects have entered buildings and taken property with force. And in March, Postmates workers allegedly stole every package from the lobby of a building on West 104th Street after dropping off a food order.
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Quite a few of these thefts have reportedly been carried out by food delivery workers.
But in one recent incident, the suspect appeared to be posing as a delivery person.
In surveillance footage from August 5, a man can be seen entering a West 89th Street brownstone with several empty boxes, placing them down, and leaving with unopened packages belonging to tenants.
The tenant who provided us with this footage — who requested that we not reveal the exact address — says there have been at least ten incidents of theft in the building within the last year.
The tenant expressed both concern and confusion over how the man was able to enter the building.
The building has two entrance doors, both of which, we’re told, are always locked.
Both sets of doors also have buzzers, and it doesn’t look like the burglar tried to get buzzed in.
Before the man enters the building, he appears to remove something from his mouth. Did he somehow score a copy of the key? Or was he simply able to pick the lock? Drop your theories in the comments.
Remember the days (n the 80’s and 90’s) when if you had to get a package, you had it sent to you at work? So you could be sure you got it? This is not a new problem.
It’s not a new problem. It’s an old problem that has returned after being gone for so long. Like progressive Mayors.
Saudi Arabia has a pretty effective method of punishment to ensure people like this can never burglarize again…just sayin’
As did the Babylonians with “an eye for an eye” justice. I believe Singapore solved the graffiti problem decades ago with one maybe two hand removals. It’s barbaric and yet it worked. No more graffiti eyesores or nonsensical gibberish about “poor guys – they have no other outlet for their creativity or artistic sensibilities.” Stop desecrating public space, walls, columns, subway stations, monuments and sidewalks that aren’t yours to desecrate in the first place. Similarly, you start with chemical and/or surgical castration for sex offenders and pedophiles and watch how quickly all that crap goes away. Not saying 100% but probably up to 90-95%; no one says end the psychological or psychiatric treatment; just do that in tandem with castration. We have to accept that “tough love” means starting tough and actually doing what others only complain about. Now watch the comments come flooding in supporting the vermin and the criminal minds because they’ve had it so rough for so long. Boo-hoo.
I live on the Upper East Side and over the last two years (mainly during the pandemic when people could conveniently hide themselves with face masks) I had 5 packages stollen from the lobby after being delivered by Amazon. I’ve called the police to report the incident a couple times who admitted it was an on going problem in the community. Often the lobby cameras aren’t working or when they are you have 24 hours to report the incident to the landlord before the footage is erased. The other problem is that FEDX rings every apartment buzzer on each floor until someone lets them in, which I have reported to FEDX complaints department. This confuses the issue when you actually do have a package you are expecting. Fedx has even lied to me when I stuck my head out the window because I wasn’t expecting a package but he claimed I had one with my name on it. After I buzzed opened the door for him, to my frustration there was no package with my name on it. This incident also got reported to FEDX. So FEDX compounds the issue when burglars start ringing buzzers to get in the building to steal packages, One time after some random person rang by buzzer at 9pm I looked out the window only to see him leave and go across the street to try the same maneuver to be let in their building. It’s a very relevant problem that land it’s need to remain vigilant to take appropriate measure to help their tenants address this issue.
This stuff happens just as much if not more in the suburbs people.
Over the past couple of years (largely as a result of the pandemic), theft of packages from lobbies has overtaken theft of unattended (personal) property as the #1 crime on the UWS (and elsewhere). It cannot be stressed enough that everyone who reads articles or comments on this NEVER buzz in anyone you don’t know or aren’t expecting – and tell all their neighbors the same thing.
If you don’t live in an elevator building, and you are unable to get to the first floor to see who is buzzing, try to get a neighbor to do it for you. Because it is not JUST the theft of packages: once you allow someone into the building, that becomes a much wider security issue for everyone, including a potential physical threat.
Do NOT buzz ANYONE into your building unless you know for certain who it is.