7 On Your Side helps man get valuable items back after porch pirate strikes in Poughkeepsie
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York (WABC) -- Porch pirates can be sneaky, but when a thief walked off with a treasure trove worth its weight in gold, the intended recipient of the package thought he was out of luck until he called 7 On Your Side.
Richard Hasbrouk is still in disbelief watching surveillance video of the package being handed over to a complete stranger in his driveway.
"And the driver gets out and looks to the right, and just then here comes a stranger walking down the street, goes right to him," Hasbrouk said.
The video shows the FedEx driver revealing the recipient's name on the box.
"And let him sign for it and then he walks away, he doesn't even go near the house," Hasbrouk said.
Surveillance video from the neighbor's Ring camera the same day showed the white car pull up and park on their block in Poughkeepsie. Neighbors say the car sat there for a couple of hours.
Hasbrouk said watching the video made him feel violated. The package, worth $1,847, contained a silver bar and gold coin.
The avid collector orders pieces to his home for quick inspection before transferring the items to a secure bank vault.
Hasbrouk alerted FedEx right away and got a frustrating text swap with a chatbot where he had to explain over and over that his package was never received.
He said he was then prompted with a survey a FedEx was not responsive.
When he couldn't get anywhere on his own, he called 7 On Your Side. We sent the video directly to FedEx asking them to investigate the handoff.
Within four days, FedEx worked with the gold distributor and ended up resending the items.
According to the local police, the man caught on camera was part of a crime ring and they are still investigating.
In a statement, FedEx said: "The security of our customer's shipments is a top priority. We are cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation and are working directly with the customer."
If you're ordering high-value items, FedEx recommends tapping into real-time tracking and technology - that way customers can receive alerts on delivery time and arrange to receive packages in person.
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