Package thief returns to Whittier Heights

Package thievery has unfortunately affected several Ballardites once again.

Less than 24 hours ago, resident Debra Halsan found two empty Amazon packages in an alley between 8th and 9th Ave. NW. One of the packages was addressed to Kimberly McGregor of 20th Ave NW and the second to Grant Sickle of NW 59th St.

Another separate case was reported two days ago by Dylan Kahler from Whittier Heights. He reported waking up to witnessing a woman running from his front porch back to an idling dark gray SUV.

At the early hour of 6 a.m., he got up to investigate the disturbance to find the woman trying to grab an old Amazon Fresh bag from where it was located on Kahler’s porch.

“The handle’s tore off, so the joke’s on her,” added Kahler. He notes the woman looked to be in her mid-30s to mid-40s with brown hair in a ponytail. She was dressed in black pants and a gray t-shirt.

As for the getaway vehicle itself, he says it had a spare tire on the back and suggests it may have been a mid-90s Isuzu Trooper. Kahler was unable to see who was driving but says the car headed south on 10th Ave toward 75th. He reported the incident to the police.

Last summer, MyBallard also received a tip of a similar incident in Whittier Heights.

When Kahler’s story was posted recently for neighbors on online forum NextDoor Ballard North, resident comments included those of other similar experiences.

“I had some things taken from my trunk on July 1st while I was loading my Car2Go on a trip. The description of the woman is exactly the same,” writes KB Hughes of Greenwood. “The police happened to drive by two minutes after she took off. I couldn’t get a full plate number, but I filed a report.”

While it is important to be on the lookout for others in our community,North Ballard resident Tess recommends caution at pointing fingers at women who fit the description. “While description[s] of suspicious persons is certainly needed for police to catch package thieves, it saddens me that the collateral damage is suspicion cast on a large population of all 30s-40s, brunette, ponytailed ladies who occasionally wear black pants… I’m bummed that the crime situation has come to this and we’re now suspicious of our neighbors.”

Keeping an eye out for neighbors is recommended and there are steps one can take to prevent becoming another victim of package thievery. If ordering online, you can consider having packages sent to your work location or arrange for someone to be present to receive the package.

Alternatively, if ordering from Amazon you can select the secure Amazon Locker service where your packages will be delivered to lockers at various locations around Seattle, including at the Ballard 7 Eleven (1550 NW Market St). The service has no extra charge and provides additional security for your packages.

If you have experienced package theft at your home in Ballard, email us at tips@myballard.com.