ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – This is a video that has an Albuquerque neighborhood talking: A doorbell camera captures a very young child stealing a package from a porch, then running to a waiting car; And neighbors in the area say it’s not just happening in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.
KRQY News 13 spoke with the homeowner who caught the shocking video. “It’s a shame, they don’t know the risk they’re putting the child in,” said Ronnie Meek, whose family has lived there since 1945.
On Tuesday, around 3 p.m., Mick’s wife Michelle alerted him to something strange in their northwest Albuquerque neighborhood near Fourth Street and Montao Road. “My wife was looking at the ring camera, she got a notification, and then she called me and said, ‘What’s going on? Can you see this?’ said humble.
What they caught on camera: “I was shocked,” Meek said.
A small child is seen jumping out of a white sedan and running onto Mick’s porch, grabbing a package and running away. “I saw a car pull up, or drive by, they must have seen the package on the front porch, backed up, sat there for a minute, and then sent a little kid — who couldn’t have been more than eight years old — to my front door, Steal the package, run back, and then drive,” Meek recounts.
“It was a T-shirt for my friend’s 60th birthday party,” Meek said.
Mick says he’s not only appalled by the crime, but also by those who put their children in a dangerous situation. “Somebody can be behind the door with a gun, it can be a horrible thing, there can be a dog and it’s teaching this child to be a criminal.”
“Shame on this parent or parents who are putting their child in danger like this,” Meek said.
Meeks said the theft of their porch is the latest in a string of crimes in their neighborhood. Rony said that two of his neighbors also had their cars stolen recently. KRQE News 13 showed one of them, David Garcia, who lives down the street, video of the little porch pirates.
“How wonderful!” “It surprises me that right after my car. You know, my car was two weeks ago, this is two weeks later,” Garcia said.
Garcia stole his Kia from his front drive, along with everything in it, including his tools, an instrument, Spanish tapes and music, and some of his wife’s belongings. “What bothers me the most is that they took my Vietnam dog tag,” Garcia said.
He’s lived there for more than 50 years and says it’s always been a pretty quiet neighborhood. “I’m starting to worry now,” Garcia said.
Although Meek and Garcia are now taking extra safety precautions, such as upgrading cameras and using steering wheel locks, Meek said he would like to see more Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in the area.
“It’s very worrying, I don’t see it getting any better. Crime will increase as crime increases. They become violent, you know? It could turn into so much more,” Meek said.
KRQE News 13 reached out to APD to find out if they’ve noticed an increase in crime in the area. A spokesperson said they have seen an increase in auto thefts and have implemented a bait car program in the area.
