“Porch Pirate” strikes in Salinas, steals Hartnell student’s textbook
In Salinas’ Creekbridge neighborhood, home security video shows a man on his bicycle getting off, walking up to the front step, and swiping an item every college student depends on. This, happening right at the start of the Fall semester.
Hartnell College student Edith Rodriguez says she was waiting for her English textbook to arrive in the mail. When she was worried it never arrived, she and her family went to the tape. There, they saw the suspect, whose face is hidden under a ball cap, walk up and take a package.
“I was mad because I waited a week for my book and books aren’t just something you can go without. You really do need them,” Rodriguez tells KION.
It was a 25 dollar rental from popular website Chegg. The full price is 75 dollars. She says Chegg gave her two options.
“Buying a another book. Use it. Send it back. But it has to be the exact same book. Or I could just pay the book in full, and then rent another one,” Rodriguez says. “I just have to pay for a new book, then a second book.”
We called Chegg Wednesday. They tell KION whomever said she had to pay for a new book was wrong. All she needed to do was call the company’s refund line and explain the situation.
We then showed the video to Miguel Cabrera, a spokesperson for the Salinas Police Department. He says it’s tough to identify suspects in these cases, because they happen too quickly. But, people should still tell the department what they know.
“We need to hear from them so we can put together the information that hopefully leads to the arrest and obviously identification of the suspect,” Cabrera says.
Security cameras from your home, and from neighbors, can all help. Any piece of information can be used to find a suspect, especially if the person struck more than once.
“Sometimes we get information on a license plate or vehicle description, because a neighbor saw it and alerted authorities,” Cabrera said. “If we don’t get that information, obviously the chances of finding that person are slim.”
Tips on avoiding falling victim to porch pirates in the first place, include, making sure your home security camera is in a well-lit place with a good line of sight; request a signature pickup with packages so they won’t be left unattended; and avoid sending them to your home all together. Have them go straight to the package service, or your workplace.
In this case, Rodriguez says she doubts this was the treasure our porch pirate was looking for. “Probably when he opened it, it was like ‘wow, it’s a book’.”
Hartnell College says if this happens to one of their students, they should contact the student life office and look at the book voucher program. It is used to assist students with textbook costs, and each student receives 100 dollars.
