A pair of porch pirates in New Jersey left an indelible mark on local law enforcement authorities when they were caught on video stealing packages from the front of a home and “twerking” for the victim’s Ring doorbell camera, then returning to the same home several days later to complain about the video being posted to the internet.
According to a news release from the Gloucester Township Police Department, two individuals at about 6:36 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024, approached the front door of a residence in the new Independence Square Townhomes in Sicklerville, which is about 100 miles southwest of Manhattan.
“Suspect 1 grabbed an Amazon package containing four glasses and baby items valued at $74,” police wrote in the release. “Suspect 2 also ran up to the front door, and began taunting the victim on their camera by ‘twerking,’ then both suspects fled the area.”
The victim of the theft saw the footage from her camera and posted the video to the Ring Neighbors app’s “Safety and Security” feature in an effort to identify the suspects and warn others in the neighborhood about the porch pirates.
What happened next is what led police to title their news release as a “‘You Can’t Make This Stuff Up’: Crime Stoppers Exclusive.”
Authorities said that at about 7:02 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 11, the two suspected porch pirates returned to the same house, apparently after learning that footage of their misdeed from two nights earlier had posted online.
“Suspect 1 stayed across the street while Suspect 2 approached the victim’s Ring camera, holding up their phone with the Ring Neighbors app on the screen and saying ‘Come on dude, not cool bro, come on not cool………… that’s my a– on the internet!’ then runs across the street,” police wrote. “At 7:10 PM, Suspect 2 RETURNS A SECOND TIME holding one of the stolen glasses (which was broke), and says ‘Uh, I meant to give this back’ while placing it on the front step and fleeing the area once more.”
Suspect 2 appeared to be wearing a sweatshirt that said “Hollywood” across the bottom along with several lines of lyrics from 2Pac and Dr. Dre’s 1995 hit song “California Love.”
Video of the theft and the suspects’ return to the scene was posted online by police and can be viewed below.
Police are urging the public to help investigators as they attempt to identify the two individuals depicted in the footage. Anyone with information relevant to the case has been asked to call the department at 856-228-4500 or leave a tip using their anonymous tip line at 856-842-5560.