WATCH: Surveillance footage shows porch pirate stealing Houston couple’s wedding mementos

Porch piracy rates are reportedly increasing across the country (image via victims
Porch piracy rates are reportedly increasing across the country (image via victims' family)

On October 9, a newly married Houston couple arrived home to discover that a porch pirate had stolen several wedding gifts and mementos from the front gate of their Montrose home.

In surveillance footage of the theft, an individual in a T-shirt and sweatpants can be seen calmly walking up to the couple's front gate, taking the box containing their valuables, and walking away from the scene.

Netizens have noted that the suspect had a slight limp. According to Click2Houston, the theft occurred seven hours after the items were delivered.

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The couple, Katie and Max Degwitz, were only able to look through the surveillance footage after returning to their Houston home on October 9. They reportedly had to ship home the items from their wedding in Sedona, Arizona, as they were leaving for their honeymoon in Hawaii soon after the ceremony.


Veil, wedding photos, and other keepsakes lost in the Houston porch theft

As per Iheart, Katie and Max Degwitz have filed a police report to Houston authorities. They also decided to release surveillance footage of the theft in the hopes that if enough people see it, the suspect may potentially return their belongings.

In an interview with local outlets, Katie Degwitz stated that the priceless items included several photos of the ceremony, as well as her wedding dress and veil.

She said:

"The veil. It was something that I would have passed on. And so that part sucks. And same with the dress. And then the pictures, though. We don't have any other copies of those pictures."

She added:

“In that box was the only picture I had of my parent’s wedding, and the only picture of one of my grandparents’ weddings."

In an interview with local reporters, Max Degwitz discussed his thoughts on the situation, emphasizing the brazen nature of the theft. He said:

“He grabbed a couple of them, saw which one he wanted to carry, and left with it. Just like that. No shame. There’s no use for him with most of these items or any of these items. But it does have a lot of value to us."

Max also noted that while they may not be able to replace all the wedding keepsakes that they lost, raising awareness about the situation may deter potential porch pirates in the future:

“If we can prevent this from happening to somebody else, there’s a lot of satisfaction in just that.”

According to the Houston Law Review, 1 in 5 Americans have reported having a package stolen from their front porch. The publication reported that approximately 1.7 million packages are stolen in the US each day.

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