A New Yorker turned the tables on a porch pirate and managed to catch the thief red-handed before turning him over to the police.
The Queens homeowner, named Carlos Mejia, was fed up with having his parcels stolen, so he undertook a thief-catching scheme that can only be described as quintessentially 'New York.'
Carlos deployed a clever ruse by leaving decoy packages at his doorstep. The fake packages were meant to act as a booby trap for the porch pirates. Now, this may seem like simple bait, which makes one wonder whether a seasoned thief would actually fall for it. But sure enough, a thief took the bait and proved that, sometimes, the simplest traps can catch the biggest fish—or, in this case, the greediest porch pirates!
Carlos Mejia, a homeowner in Queens, was fed up with seeing delivery packages in his neighborhood being stolen
Image credits: lossmokes1
In a viral TikTok video that garnered more than 800,000 views, social media users saw Carlos’ strategy pay off, as the footage captured the thief falling for the fake parcel trap.
“Finally got a thief with decoy boxes,” read the text on the video.
The video showcased the alleged thief, later identified as 30-year-old Victor Stazzone, sneaking into Carlos’ yard and attempting to pilfer a box.
Victor then tried to stash the box in his backpack, not expecting the homeowner to emerge from inside the house in the nick of time. Carlos was captured ambushing the thief and confronting him in the unexpected encounter.
Carlos placed fake packages at his doorstep in the hope of catching a thief red-handed
Image credits: lossmokes1
“Oh, s–t, yo, yo, yo, yo, yo. I just didn’t want nobody to take him, bro!” the suspect cried out as Carlos grabbed him with a baseball bat in hand.
“Yo, I just didn't want nobody to take them, bro,” Victor claimed as he tried to plead with Carlos.
“What you got in there?” the enraged homeowner asked, to which the suspected thief replied, “Nothing, man.”
Victor eventually said, “You can have everything, bro.”
The alleged thief claimed over and over again that he lived on the corner.
A suspect, later identified as Victor Stazzone, was captured sneaking into Carlos' yard and falling for the bait
Image credits: lossmokes1
“Yo, I'm not-- yo! I live right there, bro,” Victor said, but Carlos was not having any of it.
“Get on your knees. Get on your knees right now,” Carlos ordered.
The alleged thief pleaded for mercy, hoping Carlos would let him go. But the homeowner held Victor on the spot until the police arrived.
Clips that were uploaded later on TikTok showed Victor surrounded by cops, with one of the videos declaring: “Arrested.”
Carlos held the alleged suspect down until the cops arrived and arrested him
One of the clips also captured Victor trying to escape but being dragged back.
Following his arrest, Victor faced charges of petit larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, and criminal trespassing. His arrest was further dramatized after the accused thief claimed he needed an ambulance because his hand needed medical attention.
“Officer, what am I being arrested for?” Victor was quoted asking a cop as he lay face down on the ground while being handcuffed.
Later, another video on TikTok revealed that Carlos’ decoy packages contained nothing more than old French fries and a warning note to potential thieves, highlighting the homeowner’s frustration and determination to deter the porch pirates from swiping packages in the neighborhood.
A TikTok video captured Victor being surrounded by cops while the text on the clip said, "ARRESTED"
Image credits: lossmokes1
“Keep stealing our s–t and you wont [sic] make the next year b–ch a– f–king c–t!!” read Carlos’ message.
Carlos opened up about the incident in an interview with Storyful after capturing the thief. The New Yorker said he was “done” with parcel thieves in the neighborhood and decided to take matters into his own hands by placing “decoy packages” at his doorstep.
“Plenty” of his neighbors were “tired of people just following the UPS, FedEx, USPS deliveries and taking everything we work hard for. I was just trying to make an example for those out there doing the same thing … stealing from others,” Carlos told the outlet.
While speaking about his successful attempt at nabbing the thief, Carlos said, “I was just trying to make an example for those out there doing the same thing … stealing from others.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD) confirmed in a statement to Storyful that Victor was arrested on March 30.
“The report states that an individual did remove a box from the premise without permission or authority,” NYPD said in a statement to the outlet.
Carlos said he was "trying to make an example for those out there" when he set up the booby trap at his doorstep
The incident not only underscored the growing issue of parcel theft but also showcased the lengths individuals will go to protect their property and the items bought online with their hard-earned money.
Carlos’ viral video of the thief being caught red-handed garnered more than 66.4K likes and more than 1,600 comments, with most people lauding the homeowner for taking matters into his own hands and keeping at least one porch pirate out of the neighborhood.
The incident ended without anyone getting hurt; however, it could have taken an ugly turn if the suspect had been armed or turned aggressive in the tussle with Carlos. Authorities always advise against civilians taking such risks and engaging with suspected criminals.
Fans praised Carlos for the simple yet effective trap that the alleged suspect fell for
