Porch bandit struggles to jam giant TV into his getaway car, video shows | Miami Herald

A thief stole a huge, unwieldy flat-screen TV from a Maryland porch last month, but his getaway wasn’t exactly smooth, video shows.

After hopping out of a car on Nov. 29, the thief scampers up to the front steps of a home in Fort Washington, then grabs the hulking cardboard box and begins running back to the car.

Halfway to the car, things start to fall apart: The thief trips on the leaf-covered lawn and tumbles to the ground on top of the package, which is roughly as big as he is, the video released by Prince George’s County police shows. He struggles to get a grip on the package again, and shoves it toward the car, where the back door is open for him to slide the box inside.

But the box won’t fit.

Next the thief opens the trunk and tries to maneuver the giant box inside. He has no success there, either, despite trying a few different angles. Meanwhile, cars can been seen driving past the spectacle on the residential street.

Eventually the thief returns to the back passenger side door of the car. This time it works: He’s able to slide the TV into the back seat, though not all the way. He tries to shut the door, but it won’t close, so he clambers into the car and drives off with the flat-screen TV jutting out the door and the trunk still open, video shows.

“It was ridiculous,” said Marsedah Diggs, who bought the 65-inch flat-screen TV from Walmart, NBC Washington reports. “Everyone else who saw the video was laughing at the time. I wasn’t laughing.”

Diggs said Walmart sent her a new TV, which retails on Sharp’s website for at least $700, according to NBC.

“He’s an idiot,” Diggs told the TV station. “I hope he broke that TV into a thousand pieces by the time he got it to his destination.”

The Prince George’s County Police Department said in a news release that the incident lasted several minutes. The department said on Dec. 13 that it had fielded 62 reports of package theft since the middle of October in the county.

Police asked anyone with tips on the theft to call 301-772-4911.

The department advised people to ship packages to their office, require a signature on packages, have a neighbor keep on eye on your porch if you’re expecting something or have the package sent to someone you know will be home. Using a post office, Amazon locker, UPS office or other safe place to pick up packages is another option.

Diggs said she hopes the thief gets caught.

“I got my TV, but this guy’s still out there, and who knows who else he’s doing this to,” she told NBC Washington. “I’ll be happier if he gets caught.”