EAST NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Porch pirates may be lurking in East Nashville, but one neighbor is determined to not let them win.
One good Samaritan is bringing back holiday cheer — by returning stolen gifts.
According to Forbes, Tennessee is the eleventh worst state in the nation for porch pirates. In fact, Capital One Shopping found Americans lost more than $13 billion to package theft last year. Some porch pirates in East Nashville are continuing the trend.
“It appeared a package had been stolen off our porch,” recalled Janet Carr, an East Nashville resident. “I feel like it happened during the day.”
Carr told News 2 the porch pirates stole a family member’s Christmas present.
“She had these Italian running shoes sent here because they are celebrating Christmas with us, and we were a little concerned because they had not arrived,” said Carr. “We were expecting them, but we thought they were delayed because of the holidays.”
However, half a mile away, a good Samaritan saw the package dumped on the side of the road, with the shoes still in the box.
“We are very grateful that they took the time to investigate, write a note, and bring it back to us,” Carr expressed.
On the mangled but returned box, Carr found a note that read: “My husband found these boxes with shoes while walking our dogs on 9th. Clearly, someone went through the package but didn’t like what they found. Sorry this happened. Best, your neighbor.”
Carr told News 2 she didn’t know who had dropped it off, but she said that this person has returned a bit of joy to the holiday season.
“I feel pretty sure this is just, you know, someone who was looking out for a neighbor that they hadn’t met yet,” she said.
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“The holidays are so busy for everyone,” Carr added. “And from the note, we know this person was out walking their dogs, and we’ve had some really cold and yucky weather, so just the fact that they would stop and investigate, you know, I think it’s a message for all of us. We need to be looking out for each other, not just at Christmas but all the time.”
Her message for porch pirates is to think twice.
“You know, it may feel like a victimless crime, but it’s really not,” Carr said. “It’s a lot of disappointment for people and also makes them feel potentially unsafe in their own neighborhood.”
