A resident who lives on East Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B tells us that this man has entered his or her building several times in the past month… and helped himself to packages in the lobby. (Another resident said that he has struck No. 140, 144 and 150.)
In each case, the man lingers outside the front door… and waits for a resident to enter or exit the building, then walks right in before the door closes… The building management did file a police report.
The resident shared surveillance video from two of the incidents … thinking perhaps the man is hitting other nearby lobbies as well…
There's also surveillance footage showing the man walking right in after building residents, who do not seem to notice that someone is entering directly behind them…
Said the resident: "I never, ever let anyone in behind me. This is NYC — you never know who is walking in behind you."
Building management has posted a screen grab from the video and a warning note to residents…
That really sucks. I trust that there's a special place in hell for low lifes like that. Stealing from little old ladies. He ought to be horsewhipped.
ReplyDeleteBetter watch out, Grieve, or the NY POST will scoop your story in another of its endless Summer tirade blockbuster hit articles: DeBlasio's NYC Is Going to Hell.
ReplyDeleteDon't we all know NOT to let in the stranger lurking behind us? C'mon kids...prove that you can be decent neighbors and SMART NYers.
I had a package disappear from the lobby of my building on E. 12th, two weeks ago -- because numb nuts who don't seem to understand they live in the city keep propping the door open.
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when asshats forget we live in a city and leave doors open and let strangers in. Lucky he didn't lurk in the building and hurt someone.
ReplyDelete"Who hasn't ever swiped a package or two from someone else's lobby?" Said a Taylor Swift fan who
ReplyDeletealso likes to drink for free.
And "If you don't like having your packages stolen you should mooove!"
ReplyDeleteI live in this building. I will keep a lookout. If I see that skinny little fucker, I will break his fucking neck.
ReplyDeleteAt 7:22 PM, Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI had a package disappear from the lobby of my building on E. 12th, two weeks ago -- because numb nuts who don't seem to understand they live in the city keep propping the door open.
Someone keeps propping the inner door of our building open, so that only the front door is locked. I guess they think they're back home in the suburbs, where UPS just leaves packages around back of their house.
This is why for several years we've used a postal place to get our packages and special mail; if there's no doorman to receive packages, I trust no one in our building.
this is the building I live in and sadly enough, two locked doors before entering the lobby can't even prevent this.
ReplyDeleteI live in a building on B between 6th and 7th and we've had this happen a couple of times recently. Could be the same guy, the footage is a little grainy to tell. Part of the problem in our building I think is that you can't always see who is buzzing on the monitors, so if someone says UPS and you don't see the picture you may just buzz them in. I've started having my packages delivered to a concierge service; it's a pain.
ReplyDeleteGood to see the management is being proactive with their notices and that they have security cameras.
ReplyDeleteWe always have packages sitting in the unattended hallway on the first floor of our building. On any given day, some enterprising thief could easily slip in and likely walk out with everything from shoes from Zappos to books from Amazon. I have heard of a few packages going missing, but I am surprised it doesn't happen much more often. The majority of buildings in this neighborhood don't have doormen to sign for and take care of packages. I think people are crazy to get all this stuff delivered when it can so easily be stolen.
ReplyDeleteI used to pretty much know everyone in my building. Now most of the apartments turn over all the time and I have no idea who lives here and who doesn't live here. It makes it harder to shut the door in someone's face. I also don't think any of the new people are careful about the door at all. They're always propping it open. Or workmen do, because when apartments become vacant, they usually get renovated to jack up the rent (even if they were renovated a year earlier). They prop the door open to carry equipment in and never come back to close it. I do what I can by closing the outside door when I see it open for no visible reason whatsoever, and I never buzz strangers in, ever. And I have been using a package service too, Parcel. It works well. One of my neighbors had a package of textbooks stolen recently. Who would want that? But the thief probably just grabbed whatever was there.
ReplyDeleteYou should not buzz a UPS (et al.) person into your building. Do what I do, and tell the person you will be down in a minute and go into the lobby to retrieve the package.
ReplyDeleteWe've never had a package ripped off that I know of.
Bill, getting a package the right way
Whenever a courier buzzes saying I have a package I ask them what the name on the package is. Luckily they all say the right names. I then buzz them in.
ReplyDeletei live in one of the E 7th street buildings and this guy tried to enter behind me on Sunday. i had seen the fliers about stolen packages so i slammed the door in his face, not knowing if it was him or not. now i know it was. he sits on the metal fences that block the trees from dogs on the south side of 7th. he looked pretty "normal" so i almost felt bad slamming the door in his face, but instinct kicked in when i saw him jump up as soon as i opened the door.
ReplyDeleteI had a package stolen last week! I bet it was this guy! I live on 5th street between 1st and 2nd!! The mailman always leaves packages inside on the steps and the doors are glass so anyone outside can see and do what he is doing. Taped a permanent note on my mailbox to leave large packages at laundromat but they continue to leave them.
ReplyDeleteHe looks like he is always going out and not coming in???????
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-9wJB86djQ
ReplyDeleteMy building's second door is often left open, but thankfully I've never lost a package. Perks of having a small and run-down looking front door, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteScuba Diva said: "I trust no one in our building." I understand - but I am also sorry that your building is that way.
ReplyDeleteI live in a small building where we all know each other & can call on each other if we need help of any kind. I know that's probably unusual, but if I lived in a building where the situation was "I trust no one in our building", I don't think I could tolerate living in NYC.
Several of us in my building on East 7th near 2nd had packages stolen from the entrance about a month ago (some from Amazon, some from Fedex). I've lived here for 2 decades and it's never happened before so it's certainly not been common, yet right here is a guy on my same street doing the same thing not long after and captured on video. Interesting...
ReplyDeleteGiovanni's "Who hasn't ever swiped a package or two from someone else's lobby?" Said a Taylor Swift fan who also likes to drink for free" wins Best EVG Callback Of The Week (if there was such a thing).
ReplyDelete3:07pm, is there a way you can shut that inner door every time? If so, I'd say do that. Safety first!
ReplyDeleteIn my building tenant let strangers in all the time. No one wants to offend anyone.
ReplyDeleteAdding to the bravos for Giovanni's comment.
ReplyDeleteWe have a HUGE problem with packages getting stolen here on East 3rd between First and Second. I think people are afraid to be confrontational about people slipping into the building after them or buzzing random apartments until they're admitted.
For anyone afraid of being confrontational, don't be. They'll either pull out their key or they'll buzz their friend to let them up. If they're valid, they'll understand your caution. You just say "I'm sorry but I haven't seen you before, would you mind using your key or buzzing your friend? I'll let you in next time." Then you go through and pull the door closed behind you (keep an ear out to see that they do have a key or friend). I do this to everyone equally. It doesn't matter what you look like, if I don't know you I don't know you.
ReplyDeleteThe reason this doesn't happen more is because mail theft is a Federal offense.
ReplyDeleteAnyone tried eNeighbr? You can leave your packages with someone in the neighborhood who will safely hold on to them until you pick them up. It's $5 bucks.
ReplyDeletehttp://eneighbr.com
I've lived and work out of my apartment here for years. This has only been a recent problem and I primarily blame the shippers for using every inch of space to market themselves on the package. And along with the Bros and whatever replace hipsters who order it. In my building I go down to meet all delivery people, but i've come across some fakers I give a nice lecture to. Recently the same (i think in the building) person keeps opening every package left with a box cutter, then just swiping the stuff rather then taking the packing evidence.
ReplyDeleteI was just telling a buddy of mine about my blue apron deliveries (among other things) always getting stolen and he told me about this service he used called eneighbor that basically allows you to send packages and stuff to your neighbors that are home all the time. Seems legit...haven't tried it yet but probably am going to soon. I can't stand dealing with fedex customer support. Anyway, I just found the URL it's spelled a little funny: http://eneighbr.com. Hope this helps!
ReplyDeleteI live on E. 7th street and had 3/4 of packages that were supposed to be delivered to my building last week disappear. Thankfully they were all very small home wares from Amazon, but I believe this thief is highly active in the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine another reason why I would have so many packages say they were delivered and just mysteriously never show up. Even the replacement from Amazon for one of the 'lost' items disappeared. I hope the thief is enjoying the two boxes of plastic command hooks he acquired!
YES!!! @9:13am.... My Blue Apron delivery gets stolen too. Of all things, they go for the food>
ReplyDeleteThis post has me thinking (repeatedly, and with surprise)
ReplyDelete1) Who the heck has packages delivered to their home if they aren't there and there's no super or neighbor always around to take it in?? I mean, how do they expect any delivery that isn't via the USPS to even get inside the building (let alone the stealing problem)? I am on the package receiving list at the Postal Store at 1st Avenue & 9th Street. Or, I get things delivered to my office.
2) Why aren't people more careful about letting anyone get in behind them? Doesn't having someone you don't know moving quickly behind you into your home's foyer make you nervous? Even if it doesn't, you really have to have a certain level of concern for your neighbors. This isn't about male/female, young/old, or some other superficial divide. Anyone can be attacked/mugged/stolen from/vandalised/harrassed. I vividly recall a friend dealing with the chaos caused by a neighbor's dealing with a messy breakup where people kept letting his ex into the building (she was young and cute and female so of course she was harmless, amirite?!?!) which culminated with her dumping a pile of his clothes he had left at her place in front of his door and her pissing all over them while screaming. Fortunately, this time when the cops were called they came and did something useful. She had also brought (I believe) lighter fluid and matches. He might have been a shit, but she could have killed people.
Come on! Get a little territorial and stop letting people in! Question them. Risk getting the fish eye from a new neighbor. In the long run, they'll appreciate you being protective of the building.
Not wanting to offend is a major problem IMO. My own girlfriend bitched me out after I shut the door in some random guy's face who tried to sneak in after us. Her exact words before turning back and opening the door for the guy: "he obviously looks like he lives here". I am not joking around here. This is NYC in 2015. The stereotype of the tough, no-shit-taking New York is long dead.
ReplyDeleteLet's rig up some exploding decoy packages and leave them out in known problem areas. KABOOM, problem solved. Judge, jury and executioner, all in one box.
ReplyDeleteolympiasepiriot, I have a mailbox at East Village Postal, and STILL FedEx delivered to the building lobby at 151 1st, not to EVP. And, you guessed it, somebody stole it. At least Amazon refunded my money for a stupid FedEx mistake. ALL the mail for that building is supposed to go to EVP, but apparently some FedEx loon didn't get the memo...even though there's a big sign up in the 151 lobby...
ReplyDelete@ Anon on 8-17 @ 11:43 ... Sorry, I'd have lost it at her. From my crabbed, aged vantage point DTMFA. NO ONE "looks" like they belong anywhere unless you already know them. Does she buzz in people who she doesn't know, too?
ReplyDelete@ HippieChick ... that's just stupid. And, yeah, it is a problem. Does Amazon ship with the box for 'can leave w/o a signature' checked?!