Police are urging Schuylkill County residents to be vigilant against porch pirates.
The warning comes as Christmas shopping season gets into full swing and many here will begin receiving packages at their front door, often when they’re at work and not home to receive it.
It also comes after a recent incident in Ashland. On Oct. 23, police were dispatched to homes at Walnut and N. 9th streets in the borough.
At Walnut St., a victim of porch piracy says that shortly after FedEx delivered a package to their home, two men got out of a black vehicle an quickly snatched it.
Not long after that happened, on N. 9th St., a package delivered by the US Postal Service was taken from a porch there.
Both of these incidents were captured by home security cameras and the perpetrators were identified.
Police from Butler Township and Frackville helped Ashland Police to spot the vehicle allegedly used in the heists and two suspects were taken into custody.
The suspects have been identified as Alex Tavarez Fernandez, 23, of Hazleton, and Ricardo Velez Duarte, 46, of Worcester, Mass.
Fernandez and Duarte were arraigned before District Magistrate Edward Tarantelli and remanded to Schuylkill County Prison on $50,000 bail. At an Oct. 30 hearing, their bail status was changed to $50,000 unsecured and they were released from jail.
Charges against both were waived for Schuylkill County Court.
Ashland Police Chief says he believes this incident is part of a growing trend in the area and that the public should be vigilant to prevent themselves becoming the next target or porch pirates.
Daley says that it may be difficult to be home when packages are delivered but people should find a way to have deliveries secured once their dropped at their door.
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