PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) – In just a few seconds, the Grinch stole Christmas from a Portsmouth family. For this Grinch, it wasn’t Cindy Lou who caught him. His face was captured on surveillance cameras just before 6:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Stephen Hart was at a Christmas Eve party when he was notified that a package had been stolen.
“I guess he looked at the driveway and saw there was no car in the driveway,” Hart said. “So, I guess that’s when he decided to grab it and take off, but he looked into the camera.”
In the video, the man appears to be looking directly into the camera.
“Whenever there was movement, the LED ring would light up. I knew he must have seen it,” Hart said.
The camera stops recording before the man returns to his car, but he appears to be in a silver four-door sedan.
Hart said the boxes contained a Christmas gift from his wife – a set of cookware. He had been hoping they would make it on Christmas Day.
“Yeah, it’s like a two-week haul because it’s coming from California,” Hart said.
Earlier this year, Gov. Glenn Younkin signed two bipartisan bills making mail theft a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Hart has reported the theft to the Portsmouth Police Department and is working with the company from which he purchased the gift to obtain a refund or replacement.
If you know anything about this Christmas Eve porch pirate, please contact Portsmouth Police.
WAVY is actively researching this story and will have full coverage on WAVY TV 10 at 6:00.
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