Grinch Steals Amazon Delivery Truck, Gifts In RivCo As Driver Watches

SAN JACINTO, CA — A thief stole an Amazon delivery truck in a San Jacinto neighborhood while the driver was making a delivery, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday.

Amid the holiday gift-giving season, the theft rattled residents.

The truck was taken just after 6:15 p.m. while idling in a cul de sac at Meridian Street and Steinbeck Avenue as the driver dropped off packages, NBC4 reported. The value of the items inside the truck was not immediately disclosed, but the theft was disconcerting, said Ren Sulit, who captured the theft on his front door security camera.

In the video, a hoodie-wearing figure can be seen walking toward the truck while the driver was delivering packages to a nearby home. The video, released by NBC4, shows an unidentified person entering, then backing up the vehicle and driving away as the driver shouts after them. The stranded driver's phone, purse and other items were also taken, according to reports.

According to the sheriff's department, the truck was a personally owned box truck that contracts with Amazon for deliveries.

Sulit spoke with reporters about the incident saying in the video report that "it was within seconds that the person drove off." He was the recipient of the last package the driver delivered before the theft.

An Amazon spokesperson said that they are working with investigators toward recovering the packages that were stolen. The delivery truck has yet to be found, according to the sheriff's department.

"A lot of people lost a lot of Christmas gifts, I'm assuming," Sulit said. "There's going to be a lot of sad faces come Christmas time."

According to Amazon.com, if your tracking information shows that your package was delivered, but you can't find it there are a few things you can do:

• Verify the shipping address in Your Orders.
• Look for a notice of attempted delivery.
• Look around the delivery location for your package.
• See if someone else accepted the delivery unless you have health or safety concerns about doing so.
• Check your mailbox or wherever else you receive mail. Some packages travel through multiple carriers.
• Wait 48 hours. In rare cases, packages may say delivered up to 48 hours before arrival.
• If you haven't received your package, contact Amazon within 30 days of expected delivery.

Note: If it is an order sold and shipped by a third-party seller, contact the seller directly for assistance. For more information, see the Contact a Third-Party Seller page.

Let Patch know if you suspect your packages were among those stolen.