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'It is strange' | Police suspect thief knew when stolen package was going to arrive

The Union County Sheriff's Office is investigating how a suspected thief was able to intercept an iPhone package as it was being delivered to a Waxhaw home.

WAXHAW, N.C. — Police are calling a package theft that happened outside a Waxhaw house “strange" and something they’ve never seen before.

On Wednesday evening, a victim, who wishes to not be identified, told WCNC Charlotte a thief was able to snag his brand-new iPhone right out of the hands of a delivery driver as they pulled up to his house. 

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The victim's security camera caught the whole exchange on video. He filed a police report with the Union County Sheriff's Office.

Neighbors told WCNC Charlotte it's a quiet neighborhood off Rea Road that never has issues with stolen packages. 

“I was surprised it was actually our neighborhood where it happened,” neighbor Jim Garofalo told WCNC Charlotte. 

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In the security video, a stranger is seen waiting in a car outside the victim's house. In the video, the person gets out of the car and walks up to the FedEx truck as it pulls up to the house. 

Credit: Ring.com

There appears to be an exchange through the window.

That’s when, according to the victim, a package with his iPhone 13 inside was taken.  

Lieutenant James Maye with the Union County Sheriff’s Office told WCNC Charlotte investigators are planning to talk to that delivery driver to figure out what happened.

“It is strange," Maye said. "Like I said, it's very uncommon. I've personally never seen a case where the suspect knew the delivery time.” 

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It’s early in the investigation but Maye said the victim having surveillance video will help greatly. 

“This Ring camera footage gives us an idea of what happened and how it happened and is a great piece of evidence that we’ll be able to use as the investigation continues,” Maye said. 

He urges people expecting deliveries to sign up for real-time updates and to install security cameras. 

The sheriff’s office has not yet identified the suspected thief. Anyone with information about who they could be or their car is asked to call them at 704-283-3789.

WCNC Charlotte reached out to FedEx about the crime, who released the following statement:

“The safety and security of our customers’ shipments is a top priority," Jonathan Lyons with FedEx Media Relations wrote. "We encourage any customer who suspects a package may have been stolen to contact the appropriate authorities immediately. FedEx fully cooperates with investigating authorities on such matters.”

Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram

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