Delivery driver appears to steal package he delivered in doorbell video

WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - With porch pirates out in full force during the holidays, one Kansas woman was shocked to see video of her delivery driver allegedly making off with her package.

Video captured last Tuesday evening by Kyla Eck’s doorbell camera shows what appears to be a delivery driver putting her package down on her Wichita porch, taking a picture of it and then snatching it right back.

“I was shocked that it wasn’t someone just random, like someone coming into the neighborhood or something like that,” Eck said. “The fact that it was the driver itself, it was a mixture of anger and just complete shock of someone being that selfish.”

Eck says the package contained materials for her small candle business, and the delivery was delayed a few days before her family left on a Thanksgiving trip. When she got back, she checked her Amazon account, which said the package had been delivered.

“I’m like, ‘That can’t be right. We didn’t get anything.’ So, I clicked on it and looked, and it had a picture of our front porch with the package there. But we didn’t have it,” Eck said.

Eck contacted Amazon, which re-sent one of the products and refunded the others. Even so, she says her business is taking a hit.

“For the orders that we had, it’s gonna put them back about a week. So, especially with a new business starting out, having a delay is obviously not the most ideal thing. It makes you potentially look insufficient or not reputable in some instances,” Eck said.

Eck is concerned about the rise in porch piracy and says she’s grateful that at least the package wasn’t a gift for her family.

“I’m known to order things that are more sentimental to my family. ... Stuff like that is important. ... You can always get goods, I understand, but when there’s something heartfelt and someone steals that from you, it’s kind of like a slap in the face,” she said.

An Amazon spokesperson said in a statement that it appears the man seen on the doorbell camera is an Amazon Flex delivery partner, an independent contractor who delivers for the company. It did not say if he is still being hired for deliveries.

“[We] pride ourselves on great customer service – and we encourage anyone who believes they have been a victim of package theft to reach out to our 24/7 Customer Service team for assistance,” the company added.