THRONTON, Colo. — Two porch pirates caught on camera stealing packages from a Thornton home have been arrested.
Andrew Abeyta, 22, of Northglenn and Thea Gonzales, 26, of Brighton are accused of grabbing a delivered package from a porch of a home near 5200 East 128th Avenue Thursday afternoon.
Surveillance video shows the suspects leaving the scene in an Acura Integra coupe. Police thanked the community for their help in identifying the suspects, whose arrests were announced Monday.
Police see an increase in package theft during the holiday season. According to a national report, 25.9 million Americans have had a holiday package stolen from their front porch or doorstep—up from 23.5 million porch thefts reported in 2015.
There are ways to prevent porch pirates from spoiling your holiday. Police offer the following tips to keep you from falling victim to this type of theft:
- Never leaving packages in your mailbox or on your porch overnight;
- Stay vigilant for unusual activity in your neighborhood. Cars of thieves are often spotted driving past homes then backing up when they spot a package.
- Take advantage of tracking information and reroute your package if you won’t be home to receive it.
- If you’re expecting a package and you don’t receive it – report it to the police. Authorities say many theft victims don’t reach out to law enforcement.
- Ask your carrier to reroute your packages if you’re not home to receive them. Most carriers allow you to send your package to a holding center, even after it’s been mailed. Some charge a fee and will reroute it to your office or a friend’s home.
