Caught On Video: Couple Cruises Newport Beach Neighborhood For Packages

NEWPORT BEACH (CBSLA.com) — With the holiday season gearing up, package deliveries are getting more frequent – as are package thefts.

Police in Newport Beach asked for the public's help to identify a man and a woman in a red, four-door sedan who were believed to be looking for packages to steal in Newport Beach. They were captured on surveillance video driving through the 500 block of San Bernardino on the afternoon of Oct. 11, Newport Beach police officials said.

A package was delivered at about 2 p.m. to one home, which was confirmed via video surveillance. The resident, who happened to be home at the time, did not immediately retrieve the package from the front porch. When he checked his surveillance video system again, he saw a woman at his front door and watched as she picked up the package and began walking toward the red sedan parked in front of the home, police said.

The resident left the house to confront her, but she was already getting into the front passenger seat. He then sped away before the resident could contact the suspects, police said.

That same afternoon, a resident across the street reported to police that a man had approached his home's front porch. The neighbor had opened his front door, startling the man, who quickly excused himself and returned to the car. The neighbor noted there was a package at his front porch at the time, and he told police he believed the man was trying to steal it.

Anyone with information about the thefts or the identity of the suspects can call Detective Jonathan Jarema at (949) 644-3761 or jjarema@nbpd.org.

To help prevent package thefts, online shoppers were advised to choose signature-required delivery options, sign up with services that give customers the ability to choose the date and time of their delivery and track deliveries online. Residents unable to be home for a delivery were recommended to coordinate with trusted neighbors to receive packages, have packages shipped to the office or even consider local customer pick-up.