Do you know these folks?
They are thieves observed to be operating in the Upper East Side and East Harlem. They are now pretending to be delivery people, wearing high-visibility jackets and carrying delivery bags similar to food carrier services. They will ring all the doorbell, especially the upper floors until an annoyed tenant, opens the door. If your building has the old audio only Intercom system, they will often say they are delivering. Ask for the apartment number and if it's not your apartment number, it's better not to open it. In this incident, once the black guy is in, he goes up to other floors to steal the packages that Amazon delivers. If you see one of these folks, expect a look-out to be nearby. If these folks have victimized your building, let us know... we have lots of clear footages to put these people on police notice.
Do not confront them with violence. Call 911 if you are witnessing a crime happening or have been a victim of the crime. REPORT the matter no matter how small the value that was stolen. The police may not act on non-violent crimes, but if you report, you help inform the police that the number will continue to go up, and that's on them when their internal audit starts looking into their report logs. I understand most victims will not spend time on it since the package is insured or they'll get a re-delivery, but then again, that's exactly why the thieves will continue to target the building, there is inaction and it seems like nobody cares from the tenants or building management, when in fact everyone gets pissed off when their packages are stolen. So my advise is, keep reporting. A problem never goes away by merely not talking about it.
For everyone's information:
Under NY State Senate Bill 2025-S10703, private carrier package theft in New York is established as a class E felony. [1, 2]
Key Details of the Law
- New Offense: The legislation adds section 165.75 to the New York penal law to specifically cover the theft or unlawful possession of packages handled by private carriers (such as Amazon, UPS, FedEx, or DHL). [1]
- Locations Covered: It applies to packages stolen from commercial carrier vehicles, package lockers, package rooms, porches, doorsteps, vestibules, or lobbies before they reach the recipient. [1]
- Classification & Penalties: Private carrier package theft is designated as a class E felony. [1, 2]
- Fines: Convictions under this section carry a maximum fine of up to $250,000. [1]
- Standard Theft Laws: Traditional theft of low-value items (petit larceny under $1,000) remains a Class A misdemeanor, while grand larceny thresholds apply based on the monetary value or nature of the property. [1, 2]