Doorbell video catches porch pirate stealing presents from Jacksonville, Clay County homes

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Christmas is right around the corner, and while you might be finishing up buying those last-minute gifts, porch pirates are out there watching and waiting for a chance to snatch them up.

Thomas lives on the Westside in the Hannah Stables subdivision with his wife and their baby.

Three weeks ago, they ordered their Christmas presents from Amazon, including some for their 3-month-old daughter.

"We were mainly focusing on the dolls and the little maternity stuff this Christmas," Thomas said.

He told us it happened 30 minutes before his wife got home from work. His Ring video doorbell caught a man stealing his packages right off his doorstep.

"Just the fact that he knew what he was doing, came up to the door, didn’t give anything toward people’s personal property and the privacy," Thomas said.

Thomas said the very first thing he did was call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. We have footage of an officer responding.

In it the video, you can hear the officer telling the couple to give Amazon a call about their lost gifts.

“Just make sure you give Amazon a call first because you want to be covered."

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Thomas said his friend in Clay County also had packages stolen the same day.

In the video he sent us, you can see the man appears to be wearing the same blue Costa shirt.

“He’s been over in Fleming Island; he’s been in Mandarin as well. We’ve had friends and other people send us video -- same guy, same shirt, and he’s still out there,” Thomas said.

The homeowner told us his neighborhood has cameras, and we spotted this one right outside the entrance. But despite having surveillance cameras, the porch pirate was able to get away with $1,000 worth of merchandise.

We reached out to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office for tips on what to do so that you don’t become a victim of a porch pirate.

If your item is stolen, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office says the first thing you should do is prove that a package has been delivered and then give law enforcement a call.

They also suggest that if you’re not home, see if a friend or neighbor can pick up your package, or if a package can be sent to another home or even a local post office so you can pick it up there.

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