A pirate was caught on camera stealing a package seconds after it was delivered to a home in Columbus, Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – A security camera captured the moment a daring suspect grabbed an expensive package and sped off right in front of a FedEx driver who had dropped it off seconds earlier.

The theft occurred around noon on June 3 in the Misty Meadows neighborhood, when 33-year-old Columbus resident Kyle Dorsch was expecting the delivery of his new Apple smartwatch, he said. Shipping was via FedEx.

“The website gave me an estimated delivery time of when it would be there and I saw the truck pull up,” Dorsch said.

As Dorsch walked to the front door to make the delivery, the doorbell’s surveillance camera also began operating. As the delivery driver walked up the driveway, the camera also captured a blue car pulling up in front of the house.

“We spotted this car on the street probably 20-30 minutes before the truck came through the neighborhood, so they knew the package was going to arrive somehow,” Dorsch said.

The FedEx driver went to Dorsch’s porch. Before he dropped off the package and knocked on the front door, the camera captured the suspect already running down the driveway. The thief jumped up the stairs, surprising the FedEx employee, then quickly grabbed the package and fled. A moment later, the camera spotted a blue car driving away.

The entire exchange took place before Dorsch even opened the front door.

“Before I could get to the door, it was gone,” he said. “I only saw the back of him when he was jumping back into the car. I spoke to the FedEx station where the package came from and they said this happens quite often in the Columbus area. They are not sure how the tracking numbers or addresses are being leaked.”

FedEx communications specialist Francesca Sacco did not respond to questions about the specific theft involving Dorsch or about the potential leak of tracking numbers to thieves in Columbus. Instead, she commented on customer technology the company has added to ensure “reliable delivery of their packages.”

“These tools have been very helpful in combating porch piracy and improving overall customer satisfaction,” Sacco said. “Our flexible solutions, such as Photo Proof of Delivery, FedEx Delivery Manager and the FedEx Mobile App, provide customers with a convenient experience and greater control over delivery dates and locations.”

Since these technologies failed to stop the porch pirate in the Dorsch case, he turned to the police and took matters into his own hands.

“When they filed the police report, they said it would be five to seven days before anyone heard from me,” Dorsch said. “I didn’t want to just sit here, so I started looking around to see if anyone had it for sale on the Internet.”

He found the watch on Facebook Marketplace within hours of making it. Dorsch said the ad included photos of a box lying on someone’s lap in a car, and the person was wearing khaki shorts that matched those of the suspect who stole them. He noticed that the Facebook page where the sale was taking place listed the job description as “FedEx Parcel Operator.”

“There are just too many coincidences for him not to be who we think he is,” Dorsch said. “We had another person try to contact them but they seemed to be paranoid so we stopped getting responses… We checked it again yesterday and they did mark the item as sold, but we don’t know if it was actually sold or if they marked it him because they had no takers.”

The Apple Watch was part of an upgrade by Dorsch’s cellular service provider, AT&T. Fortunately, Dorsch was not left empty-handed. He reported the profile to FedEx and provided AT&T case numbers from the delivery company and Columbus police. The mobile operator also took action on the stolen watch using the saved IMEI number.

“So everything has been reversed, the update has been rolled back, so I can buy another one, this time probably directly from the store,” Dorsch said. “And the watch that was stolen had to be blacklisted so no one could activate it.”

However, this means that whoever potentially purchased a stolen watch received a damaged product.

“They priced it at $600 and new is $799,” Dorsch said. “I feel bad if they sold it, that person lost hundreds of dollars and may not be as lucky as me to get it back somehow.”

A Columbus police spokeswoman told NewsNation affiliate WCMH that investigators were still working the case but had no additional information to release as of Tuesday. Dorsch said the detective also has not contacted him since filing the report.

“If it’s someone from FedEx, I hope they find him,” Dorsch said. “You know, in my case it looks like everything worked out and I can order a new one. But I feel sorry for the people who work hard to afford these things and they are taken away from them.”