Smile! Video of suspect in Bothell package theft seen by 1 million

BOTHELL, Wash. – ‘Tis the season for easy pickings. Parcel companies are working overtime delivering packages to your front door, but thieves aren’t far behind.

The latest cargo caper happened in Bothell, but it’s unlikely the crook will get away with the crime. Close to 1 million people have already seen the video clip posted on YouTube.

“Everybody’s seen the video,” said neighbor Vickie Ezell. “It’s pretty amazing.”

The surveillance video from Dec. 18 shows a woman in a blue Mitsubishi SUV waltz right up to the front door as if she owns the place.

“I wouldn’t call her a Grinch, I’d call her a thief,” said Ezzie Anderson. “Somebody that does something like that, I mean she’s a thief.”

Anderson works as an on-site real estate agent in the neighborhood. She keeps a close eye on everyone who comes and goes – but somehow she missed this crook.

“I did not see the woman,” said Anderson. “I probably could have kicked her if I saw her.”

Neighbors worry package thieves are now a permanent fixture around Christmas time.

“It feels like a sense of entitlement that just because somebody has something that they should be able to just go and take it,” said Ezell. “That’s just not right.”

This is only the latest in a steady stream of package thieves striking all over the Puget Sound

A crook in Bonney Lake was so picky he ended up dumping his stolen package at a stranger’s house.

And Casey English’s mail was stolen so many times he installed a camera at his mailbox in West Seattle. Video captured images of a crook rifling through his stuff.

“People like me can catch people like you. It’s not a nameless or faceless crime,” said English. “People are affected by this.”

The Bothell crook takes the packages, dumps them in her front seat and then drives off.

And now neighbors here vow to keep a close eye on delivery trucks from now on.

“I hope they would be caught,” said Ezell. “You know what would be pretty awesome? If they turned themselves in and ask for forgiveness. This is the season of miracles and that would be a miracle.”

Police don’t want you to confront these thieves. What they really need are good witnesses.

If you see something suspicious, try to write down the license plate number and try to get a good description of the crooks and call 911.

Watch the raw video on this YouTube link.