Manayunk Man Caught Package Thief on Video

(Photo courtesy of Brian Taylor)

It’s a story of modern technology and its use in catching criminals, sometimes directly in the act.

Last week, Manayunk resident Brian Taylor posted to Reddit that a thief had stolen a package from his doorstep, near Green Lane, in broad daylight. However, Taylor was able to post several clear pictures of the perpetrator- a white, balding man, probably in his early 30s, smoking a cigarette with a t-shirt draped over his shoulder- to the Reddit page. More than one comment on the thread reported similar thefts in nearby parts of the city.

CBS 3 picked up the story Monday -showing the same pictures and video that made the thief’s face clear- and according to Taylor, tips came in, leading police to arrest the man Tuesday. He admitted to the crime and while the package was recovered, the items inside were not. The stolen box contained clothes that Taylor’s wife had ordered for an upcoming event.

Taylor told Channel 3 that he was able to take video of the thief thanks to some top-of-the-line video equipment at his home, which he told us was from was made by a company called Wirepath and shoots in Full HD video.