San Francisco

Caught on Camera: San Francisco Package Thief Pretends to Be Mother With Stroller

The theft was caught on home security video on Saturday by a Bernal Heights resident

A package thief in San Francisco is pretending to be a mother by pushing a baby stroller as she cases the neighborhood.

The theft was caught on home security video on Saturday by a Bernal Heights resident when they noticed their package missing. Video shows the woman pushing a dog in a stroller along Bennington Street, checking stops and then scooping up Ilan Jacob's package.

Jacob's wife, Ausra Shtarka, said the woman did not look suspicious because she had the stroller.

"You feel certain things toward a woman with baby carriage, so it was disappointing," Shtarka said.

Jacob installed the cameras because he works in the industry and because his street seems to attract criminals.

"We are tired of stuff happening on our block," Jacob said. "We talk to neighbors and they've had cars broken into. Another neighbor had stuff stolen."

A growing number of neighbors are now setting up surveillance.

Jacob handed his video over to police and sent it to the neighborhood blog, hoping someone will recognize the woman and call police before she fills her stroller with another person's belongings.

The package stolen from Jacob included souvenirs a relative visiting from Lithuania planned on taking back home.

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