Stolen Packages Found; 1 Arrested In Wauwatosa

WAUWATOSA, WI— Wauwatosa police are warning residents about stolen packages after a number of them were found in a car.

According to police, the same car is suspected of being used in thefts in West Milwaukee and West Allis as well.

An officer found the car and "a whole lot of packages, on Wednesday," police said on social media. One person was arrested and police are in the process of returning the stolen items.

"Better luck next time, Grinch!If you were the recent victim of a package theft (within the past two weeks) and are still missing your package, please contact the Wauwatosa Police Department at 414-471-8430 to see if your items were recovered," the post said.

Online shopping has reached an all-time high due to the coronavirus pandemic as package thieves gear up for the holiday season in Wauwatosa and across the country.

According to the Waukesha County Sheriff's Department, here are some tips.

• When possible choose in-store pickup
• Be home to receive the delivery
• Require a signature when your package is delivered

More than 5.5 million Americans have been victimized by package thefts over the past year, according to Finder, a personal finance comparison website, in a study released in November.

About $5.4 billion worth of items were stolen in package thefts from November 2019 to November 2020, the Finder determined.

Because of the busy online shopping month of December, that number is likely to grow by the end of the year.

Porch pirates could see a prime opportunity to take advantage of the expected spike in packages left at front doors.

They usually get away with it, too. Only 11 percent of victims said the culprits were caught, according to a 2019 study by C+R Research.