Jamaica Plain

Boston Police Ask for Help Identifying Package Thief

Police are asking for help identifying a woman in connection to a series of package thefts in the Boston area

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Someone is trying to steal Christmas this year in Boston, according to police.

Residents in Jamaica Plain, Hyde Park, Roslindale and West Roxbury have been reporting package thefts, potentially at the hands of the same woman.

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Boston police are now asking for help identifying the woman after she was captured by a Ring doorbell camera outside a home in a Hyde Park neighborhood that has been hit particularly hard by the theft.

The suspect is a young female with long, dark hair, pictured in the video wearing black pants, a purple jacket, and a black face mask. She has a stomach tattoo.

The doorbell camera video shows her approach the house, grab several packages and walk into a gray car before driving off.  

It all happened fairly quickly and nonchalantly last Thursday. Around 30 minutes after an Amazon delivery driver dropped off packages in the neighborhood, video from a Ring doorbell camera shows the woman slowly walk up to the same house. With one package under her arm, she opens the door to a second home and grabs a package there before looking directly into the doorbell camera.

"We have a porch pirate, going all around Hyde Park stealing packages," said Sylvia Ruiz, who had packages stolen from her home. "I was very upset, to say the least, I thought she was really brazen and kind of sad at the same time, because she is young."

Ruiz's camera may have been the one to catch the suspect on video, but she is not the only victim in the area. Boston police are investigating a number of cases in the neighborhood.

As more people turn to online shopping around the holidays, neighbors are now watching their front doors closely.

"I think it is crazy," another neighbor shared. "I think people have a lot of guts."

Ruiz has now put a sign up outside asking UPS, USPS and Amazon workers to ring the doorbell when dropping packages off due to the past theft. Ruiz says she had a refrigerator water filter, back brace and COVID mask stolen, but it's more than that at stake.

"In this day and age when everyone is depending on each other, it is tough," Ruiz said. "She shouldn't be doing this, and she should be held accountable."

Boston police are asking anyone with information about the suspect to call 617-343-5607.

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