Engineer gets revenge against porch thieves.

[Kingcreek]

If you haven't seen this, it's worth a view. NASA engineer gets tired of porch pirates.
https://youtu.be/xoxhDk-hwuo

[makattak]

Look at the video of the thieves, too.

All are in nice cars, or you can see significant wealth hanging off their walls. Yeah, it's poverty that drives theft.


What REALLY made me mad was the guy who did it in a group and the rest of the group just thinks it's funny. Not a single objection that their friend was a thief though.

[Nick1911]

Waiting him to get sued and/or have criminal charges filed.

[Kingcreek]

Waiting him to get sued and/or have criminal charges filed.

All he did was put a package on his own porch.

[K Frame]

Waiting him to get sued and/or have criminal charges filed.

On what basis for criminal charges? He didn't litter. He didn't cause any personal injury.

Same with getting sued. Yes, if you have a buck you have a shyster, and that's what it would really be. But, if someone tries to sue him, they have to de facto admit to committing a crime, or a series of crimes -- trespassing, petty theft, unlawful possession of stolen property, the list could be quite long.

[230RN]

I noticed a crucifix (maybe on a Rosary) hanging from one guy's rear view  mirror.  Might not be his car, of course, but still...

[dogmush]

I would like to do something more permanent and damaging to the thieves, while staying out of jail.

A quick google search seems to indicate that the dye packs banks use are not easily available.  Amazon does offer "Theft Deterrent Dye Powder" which is apparently a very fine powder, that when in contact with skin becomes an indelible purple dye.  They warn that it "may cause staining" to non-skin stuff you put it on, so be cautious.


That would be pretty cool to replace the glitter in his package with. I suspect that a car or home interior that might get stained purple anywhere you touch it would suck, and it's likely to be legal, since it's sold specifically for the purpose of marking thieves.

[MechAg94]

I would rather see him show up at their house with a few goons to beat the snot out of the thieves. 

Or maybe just have a fake package with the severed head of the previous thief.  Repeat as needed. 

Those options are probably not the best advice...and illegal. 

[MechAg94]

Watching this as I have ammo sitting at my door waiting for me to get home. 

[230RN]

^ Hurry scurry home...

[Firethorn]

I like the idea of showing up at their house with a news crew.  

Alternatively, send them a bill.  Tell them that if they don't pay you'll release the video of them stealing and opening the package to their work, family, friends, news, and police.

Also, if you don't recover the package, send them a 1099 for the cost/estimated value.  Remember, proceeds from criminal activity are still taxed.  

[RocketMan]

Alternatively, send them a bill.  Tell them that if they don't pay you'll release the video of them stealing and opening the package to their work, family, friends, news, and police.

Their friends and family would probably think what they did is "really cool".  Birds of a feather and all that.

[BlueStarLizzard]

Actually you can hear one of the guys in the group saying that he shouldn't have taken it.

I think it's brilliant. aholes sucks, so why not use them as a source of entertainment if you can?

[Regolith]

I wonder how well this would work if he substituted pepper spray instead of the fart spray...  

[230RN]

Firethorn:

"...send them a 1099 for the cost/estimated value..."

Eeeevillll.  Positively eeeevilll.

Your mind's processes scare me.

Evil, I say.

https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-1099-misc