Surveillance video in one building shows a man standing in the doorway of a condominium building. He makes sure no one is watching, then turns around, pulls out a blue plastic bag and as one Hoboken officer puts it, the brazen thief goes shopping in the lobby.
"They are packages that are normally left at the door and don't require a signature, and he's throwing them in the bag as if they were for him," said Hoboken Police Department Sgt. Edwin Pantoja.
On the video, he is seen taking nearly a dozen boxes.
Hoboken police said he has struck gold in the past few months in multiple high-rise buildings, even though most have sophisticated buzz-in security systems.
"If you remember the Seinfeld episode, Jerry wouldn't let ... the one guy in only to find out he was his new neighbor," said business owner, Paul Fried. "Better to be safe than sorry. If you don't know the face, don't let them in,"
Ruth Anderson, a Hoboken resident, had no idea until she saw the surveillance video that she'd come face-to-face with the thief who hid in the stairwell of her building before making his move.
"It's pretty brazen he goes shopping in your lobby," said Anderson. "It's pretty scary and I didn't even know until I saw the film that I had walked right by him and didn't even notice."
The advice from police, if you are having something delivered of value, make sure you sign for it. Don't have it left in your lobby or on your doorstep.