A Covina man checked his doorstep on Tuesday evening expecting a package from UPS but found himself the victim of theft instead.
Surveillance video shared with NBC4 shows the package being delivered to the man's door Tuesday afternoon. About 15 minutes later, the video shows a woman arriving on the porch, looking through the door, taking the package and leaving.
The man, who asked to be identified only by his first name James, said he believes the thief follows the delivery truck and takes packages left outside people's homes. The woman has a distinctive tattoo on her upper left arm, James said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said there is no way to know whether or not the woman followed the truck.
Package theft is a crime of opportunity that is known to happen occasionally, Lt. Andy Berg said, and the last one reported in the area happened about three months ago.
But James said it has happened to him three times this year, and once to a neighbor.
"It's on the rise simply because there's more packages being delivered," he said.
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He said he believes mail deliverers should knock or ring doorbells to let residents know about their packages, and place packages where they’re not visible from the street.
"The shipper has to take some look at their procedure," he said.
