Video: Brazen thief poses as delivery man, steals packages & replaces with empty boxes

MILL CREEK, Wash. (KOMO) - Mill Creek Police are asking people to watch out for a package thief who is posing as a delivery man.

Investigators said the crime even fooled neighbors who were right outside their homes.

Police released the home security video showing the man pretending to deliver a package at the Oh family’s house, but detectives said the box was empty and the man’s real intentions were revealed when he snatched two packages from their porch on the 3200 Block of 145 Place SE.

Police said thief was so brazen he grabbed the packages while other neighbors were outside but they never suspected anything was off.

The Oh family was on vacation and didn’t see the text alert on their phones for a minutes, but by then it was too late.

“It’s one of things where you think it’s never going happen to you, it’s always to somebody else,” said homeowner Gabriel Oh. “So when we initially saw it, we were shocked and we were in disbelief.”

The owners have a camera embedded in their doorbell that captured the entire incident on video.

Neighbors said package thefts have been a problem in their neighborhood, that’s why the Oh family invested in their security camera a year ago.

It captured the crime, now they hope it helps capture the crook.

“You feel a little bit of sense of violation,” said Oh. “From a security standpoint I wanted to see who was coming to our house. Package theft in our area has been such an issue.”

The suspect is described as a white male, approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall, and weighs between 180 and 200 pounds. He has brown hair, and is estimated to be between 35 and 40 years of age. He was last seen pulling away in a small blue SUV.

The public is encouraged to contact Mill Creek Police Investigations with information or tips at investigations@cityofmillcreek.com or by phone at 425-337-1115