Texas Woman Orders Christmas Gifts for 5-year-old. Then She Checks Her Ring Camera After Amazon Delivery

When a Sherman, Texas, mother posted her Ring camera footage on TikTok to expose a package thief, she expected sympathy. What she didn’t expect was for thousands of North Texans to recognize the scene instantly and say the same thing: this keeps happening here.

The early December viral clip from frustrated mother Hannah Temple (@hanarchy) captured her occasionally speechless and on the verge of tears as she shows and shares the details of the theft of her five-year-old daughter’s Christmas gifts.

“I understand times are hard right now. I am well aware… stealing people's [expletive] off their porch?” she said in the clip that’s been viewed more than 142,000 times. “I am very angry, but hopefully if this reaches who I need it to reach. Please, I need my baby's gifts back.”

Temple said the package had been on her porch in Sherman for less than half an hour before it was taken. Footage from her Ring camera shows a person walking up to the home shortly after delivery, removing the package, and leaving the property. At one point, the individual appears to glance directly toward the camera.

Several TikTok viewers said the person appeared to be a teenager, a detail Temple herself acknowledged in comments while stressing that her goal was not public shaming, but recovery. She told viewers she planned to file a police report and had already spoken with officers about the incident.

According to Temple, police indicated the theft was part of a broader pattern in the area, something echoed repeatedly in the TikTok comment section as the video spread through North Texas feeds.

'This Is Happening Everywhere'

As the clip gained traction, residents from Sherman, Denison, Whitesboro, Anna, Gainesville, McKinney, and surrounding communities flooded the comments, many saying they had seen similar thefts posted daily in local Facebook groups and neighborhood apps. Others said they recognized the routine immediately.

Several self-identified delivery drivers commented that porch thieves often follow delivery trucks and strike within minutes of a drop-off, a tactic that law enforcement agencies nationwide have warned about during peak shopping seasons. In Temple’s case, she said the timing matched that pattern almost exactly.

What surprised Temple most, she said in replies, was how quickly the post reached nearby towns. Many viewers described the video as “way too local,” with others resharing it specifically to reach neighbors who might recognize the person or be dealing with similar thefts.

Temple said she scheduled an appointment with the Sherman Police Department to submit video evidence and formally document the theft. Filing a report is a step police departments routinely encourage, even when recovery seems unlikely, because reports help establish patterns and allocate patrol resources.

While Temple initially hoped the items might be returned, she later told viewers that the gifts were ultimately replaced in time for Christmas. She said the experience left her shaken, especially because some of the items were sold out when they were stolen.

Lockers, Cameras and a Bigger Debate

As with many viral porch theft videos, the comments section quickly turned to prevention strategies. Some users urged Temple to use Amazon lockers or in-garage delivery options, which Amazon promotes as safer alternatives to unattended porch drop-offs. Others pushed back, noting that lockers are not available in all areas, cannot accommodate larger items, or are unfamiliar to many shoppers.

Temple responded that she had never used a locker before and had not realized how limited replacement options would be so close to Christmas. Amazon’s customer support pages note that stolen packages may be eligible for refunds or replacements depending on the circumstances.

However, the company encourages customers to report theft promptly and provide any available video evidence. Porch theft tends to increase nationwide during the holiday season, according to consumer advocacy groups and law enforcement agencies, as delivery volumes rise and packages are more likely to sit unattended.

While the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program does not track porch theft as a standalone category, many police departments report seasonal increases in theft-from-property calls during November and December.

In North Texas communities like Sherman, residents say the visibility of these incidents, amplified by doorbell cameras and social media, has changed how neighborhoods respond. Videos like Temple’s increasingly function as informal alerts, spreading faster than traditional crime bulletins and reaching audiences well beyond city limits.

For Temple, the video was never meant to go viral. She said she posted it out of frustration and fear that her daughter’s Christmas would be ruined. Instead, it struck a nerve with parents and residents who saw their own streets and routines reflected in the footage.

As deliveries continue to pile up on porches across Texas, Temple’s experience has become a reminder of how quickly a small crime can ripple outward, turning a single Ring camera clip into a shared moment of anxiety, empathy, and collective vigilance.

@hannahxtempleman

Patch reached out to Temple via direct message and comment on the clip. We’ll update this if they respond.