Man invents booby-trapped box to scare off package thieves

TACOMA, Washington (WABC) -- When it comes to catching thieves, one inventor says surveillance cameras aren't enough.

So he came up with a creation to scare off would-be robbers so they never come back.

Jaireme Barrow started booby-trapping empty boxes using shotgun blanks and fishing wire, after he caught thieves on camera stealing deliveries from his front porch in Tacoma, Washington.

He calls his invention 'The Blank Box'. It goes off when thieves pick it up and it has sent them running.

"It's like any alarm system, it's just a loud noise to deter theft, but it happens to be a 12-gauge blank in this case," Barrow said.

He's now selling his invention online, and says business is booming.