Northern Ontario porch pirate steals grocery delivery from family in quarantine
In the age of doorstep deliveries, porch pirates who steal items from front doors have become common, but one North Bay mom says she was scared by a recent encounter with one.
It happened in the West Ferris area of North Bay around 11 a.m. Thursday, Devyn Crocker told CTV News.
Crocker and her children are quarantined at home after contracting COVID-19.
She said it was "very creepy" to find a stranger standing on her doorstep eating her strawberries when she went to retrieve her online grocery order Thursday morning.
"When I opened the door, he had zero reaction. When I told him to leave my property, he just kept mumbling gibberish," Crocker said on social media.
When he refused to leave after several requests, she said took out her phone and started recording a video of the incident "out of fear."
The video she posted captured the person mumbling something about "stolen property" before picking up a bag of groceries and walking away without a backwards glance.
With kids at home, she said the encounter was scary and is warning others to keep an eye out.
"Things seem to be getting more scary out in the world. Unbelievable," Crocker said.
The video she posted online has more than 5,200 views in less than 24 hours.
North Bay police confirm an investigation into the theft is open and anyone with information is encouraged to call police or Crime Stoppers.
"A suspect will hopefully be identified shortly," said Acting Sgt. Douglas MacIntosh.
Incidents of porch pirating are increasing slowly due to a spike in online deliveries which started during the pandemic, police said.
"A lot of commercial carriers have online accounts and you can have an option where instead of just leaving the package unattended at the front door, where it's visible, you can have it delivered to the back door or behind a gate," MacIntosh said.
By taking the opportunity for theft away, your goods will be more protected, he said.
"You can also accept the signature delivery option, so that way, the recipient is there to receive it and sign for it," Macintosh said.
Anyone who orders high-end goods such as jewelry, electronics or auto parts, for example, to consider having them shipped to the post office or at a commercial carrier and held for pickup, he recommended.
Police continue to encourage the reporting of all thefts so they can properly investigate.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.