HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Residents in a tight-knit Hollywood neighborhood are on edge after a couple of brazen thieves in a U-Haul van were caught on camera stealing packages from porches.
Ivana Jocic lives in the neighborhood near 35th and Park Road where, she said, she and other victims fell victim to the porch pirates on Thursday.
“It’s traumatizing, you know. It’s your things, personal things; you don’t want them to be taken,” she said.
Jocic said she was alerted to the theft when her phone buzzed with notifications at around 11 a.m.
“Just when I looked back at the camera, there were these two ladies coming out of a U-Haul truck, just pulling up very close, looking into my home, seeing what I have,” she said.
The security footage shows one of the thieves snatching at least two packages from Jocic’s porch.
However, it appears that Jocic’s residence wasn’t their only target. Another security camera captured a U-Haul van, where a woman got out of the vehicle, grabbed a box and skipped away.
“The passenger, who’s a younger lady, she got out of the van and she grabbed the package, and she was skipping, like happily skipping back to the van with somebody else’s belongings,” said Jocic.
Another neighbor, Chris Bristol, said his wife noticed a U-Haul van in the area this week as well.
“She said that she saw a U-Haul van sitting off to the side, and I come outside, the van just took off,” he said.
Jocic said that what she saw here in her own neighborhood traumatized her, and she wants the thieves to get caught.
“Don’t do this to people; like, it’s evil,” said Jocic. “I really hope that you will learn from this and that you will learn, you will learn, and they will never do it again.”
Police urge residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity to help catch the thieves.
If you have any information on these thefts or the subjects’ whereabouts, call Broward County Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.
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