DENVER — With the holiday season around the corner, package theft will likely ramp up as porch pirates look to score across the nation.
A study from SafeWise found that 210 million packages disappeared from porches across America over the past year.
Michelle Rittgers had a package stolen from in front of her home in Littleton, Colorado.
"At first, I felt violated that somebody would just do that," Rittgers said.
Her Ring video shows the thief taking a glance at the box and then continue walking. But he returned, missing his shirt but gaining the fortitude to take something that’s not his.
"It’s one of the situations where you know you’re never going to get your property back, and unfortunately, this kid just thinks he’s so entitled he can take whatever he wants," said Rittgers.
It's part of a growing national trend.
Last weekend, Laura Kishiyama had two decorative trees taken while the family was home.
"I was mad. I’ve had them out for 15 years," Kishiyama said.
Both women had doorbell videos, which is one recommendation the Aurora Police Department gives to keep your porch property safe.
They also suggest requesting a signature for your package, getting an exact time the package is arriving, having it delivered to work or even a neighbor's house if you know they will be home.
It is something Rittgers recently did after getting her package stolen. She’s also taking a step further.
"I installed a new app for my garage door opener, which is called MyQ," said Rittgers. "Amazon can open your garage, drop off your package and then close your garage again."
Gary Brode at KMGH first reported this story.
