Three Bronx residents, one 19-year-old, one 18-year-old and a 17-year-old juvenile were taken into custody by Teaneck police this week after stealing a large number of packages from the porches of Teaneck homes. The group had been driving the streets in a four-door green car. They were swarmed and caught on the corner of Sussex Road and Edgewood, where they were arrested. They had allegedly stopped at at least 11 homes before being caught.

The thieves were apprehended in part due to a video of them making one of their stops, which was submitted to police. One of the thieves had just jumped out of the car, raced to a porch and stolen a crop of packages before returning to the car for the getaway. The video was taken of the car driving away.

In a release, Teaneck Police Chief Glenn O’Reilly stated: “An alert resident called police after witnessing the group steal a package from their doorstep. With the help of a second alert resident, officers were provided with video of one of the suspects, as well as the suspect vehicle. As officers canvassed the area, Officer Nick Ruscingno spotted the suspected vehicle still in the area. Officers stopped the vehicle and quickly noticed that the passenger compartment of the car was packed with what appeared to be stolen open packages. Further investigation revealed that the trunk was also filled with stolen packages.”

“The investigation further revealed that the trio had driven around the area scouting houses for packages that had been delivered. A passenger would then exit the vehicle with an empty box from a prior theft, giving the appearance that he was making a delivery. The actor would then leave the empty box on the front steps and steal the delivered item from the residence.”

One of the affected parties of the theft, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared that in the early afternoon she was alerted that the packages from her porch had been stolen. “I was very surprised that this could happen in Teaneck,” she told The Jewish Link. “I’m just glad they were caught and won’t be able to cause any more damage. I also want to say a big thanks to the Teaneck Police Department for their help.”

The three were placed under arrest and charged with third degree theft,
having several thousand dollars of merchandise in their possession. “To date, officers and detectives determined that the trio were involved with thefts from at least 11 homes in Teaneck, however, detectives believe there are more outstanding victims. Anyone who believes they may have been victimized are asked to call the Teaneck Police Department,” wrote Chief O’Reilly.

With the thieves now in custody, the packages will presumably be returned to their rightful owners.