ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – It’s a video that has an Albuquerque neighborhood talking: a doorbell camera catching a very young child stealing a package off of a porch, then hopping in a waiting car; and neighbors in the area say that’s not the only thing happening in the otherwise quiet neighborhood.
KRQE News 13 talked with the homeowner who caught the shocking video. “It’s a shame, they don’t know the risk they’re putting the child at,” said Ronnie Meek, whose family has been living there since 1945.
On Tuesday, around three in the afternoon, Meek’s wife Michelle alerted him to something strange in their northwest Albuquerque neighborhood near Fourth Street and Montaño Road. “My wife was looking at the Ring camera, she got a notice, and then she called me and said, ‘what is going on? Can you look at this?” Meek said.
What they caught on camera: “I was shocked,” Meek said.
A young child can be seen hopping out of a white sedan and running up to Meek’s porch, grabbing a package from it, and running off. “I saw a car pull up, or drive by, they must have seen the package on the front porch, back up, sit there for a minute, and then send a young child—couldn’t be more than eight years old—up to my front door, steal the package, run back, and then drive off,” Meek recounts.
“It was a t-shirt for a friend of mine for his 60th birthday party,” Meek said.
Story continues below
Investigation: DWI scandal: APD officers resigning rather than talking
Developing: Feds indict Sheryl Williams Stapleton in APS fraud scheme
Community: Santa Fe County provides safety tips for El Santuario de Chimayó pilgrimage
Sports: UNM Men’s basketball coach Richard Pitino staying with the Lobos
Meek said he’s not only shocked at the crime, but also with whoever put their child in a dangerous situation. “Someone could be behind that door with a gun, that would be a terrible thing, there could be a dog, and it’s teaching this child to be a criminal.”
“Shame on this parent or any parent that’s putting their child in danger like this,” Meek said.
The Meeks said their porch theft is just the latest in a string of crimes in their neighborhood. Ronnie said two of his neighbors also recently had their cars stolen. KRQE News 13 showed one of them, David Garcia who lives down the street, the video of the little porch pirate.
“Wow!” Garcia said, “It surprises me that just right after my car. You know, my car was two weeks ago, this happens two weeks later.”
Garcia had his Kia stolen out of his front drive, along with everything in it including his tools, an instrument, Spanish tapes and music, and some of his wife’s things. “What angers me the most is they took my Vietnam dog tags,” Garcia said.
He’s lived there for more than 50 years and said it’s always been a nice quiet neighborhood. “I’m beginning to worry now,” Garcia said.
While Meek and Garcia are taking extra safety precautions now, like upgrading cameras and using steering wheel locks, Meek said he wants to see the Albuquerque Police Department (APD) in the area more.
“It’s very concerning, I don’t see it getting any better. As crime gets worse, the crimes get worse. They turn violent, you know? It can turn into so much more,” Meek said.
KRQE News 13 reached out to APD to find out if they’ve also noticed a rise in crime in the area. A spokesperson said they have seen a rise in auto thefts and have implemented a bait car program in the area.
