Four West Philly High school students were arrested Friday, Nov. 30 for package thefts on the 4200 block of Spruce Street, according to police. Two students are 16 and two are 14. It was the first arrest for all of them.
Plainclothes officers saw six teens go onto the porches and check boxes between 43rd and 42nd streets on Spruce early Friday afternoon. When they stole one package the officers attempted to grab them but the teens ran and four of them were caught near 42nd and Chester. Two teens were able to get away.
Package thefts have been on the rise in the area in the last few weeks as is typical for the holiday season, so residents are advised to apply caution and report any suspicious behavior.
December 4th, 2012 at 10:54 am
Great work on the part of the police. I hope they keep up the good work. Thank you so much.
This is why I have my packages delivered to my work. These kids seem to think this is no big deal but for those of us who work for a living it’s a real blow to have someone steal the Christmas present you bought for someone off your porch. And frankly they probably don’t want what’s in the package in the end so they probably just ditch the present somewhere where it will never be found.
December 4th, 2012 at 11:06 am
fantastic news.
December 6th, 2012 at 9:49 am
Yes, good news. I was unfortunately right across the street when one of the plain clothes officers pulled his gun on these kids. It was extremely scary since I had no idea it was an officer at first and I was with my infant daughter. Is this a typical response for such a crime? Wow. Only in America.
December 13th, 2012 at 12:41 pm
I live near the school and the kids walk up and down the small streets near it smoking weed every morning… The package theft doesn’t surprise me.