A person wearing an Amazon delivery vest and hat approached the front door of a San Jose home in the middle of the day on Tuesday, carrying a package and appearing to knock like any ordinary courier. Nobody answered, but the person kept peering into the house anyway. Less than an hour later, a white SUV pulled up, and three masked people — including someone in that same Amazon-style vest and hat — got out, went inside, and left with bags full of stolen valuables.
The homeowner, identified only as Andy, told NBC Bay Area that the whole scene at first looked like a normal package delivery. He said the burglars appeared to get inside through a back window, then rummaged through the house before making off with high-end handbags and jewelry. Investigators say the suspect at the door seemed to be talking to someone inside the home before the SUV arrived, and the three masked people were seen loading bags into the vehicle before driving away.
Police and Amazon Both Investigating
San Jose police have opened an investigation into the break-in, according to the same report. Amazon has also said it is looking into the incident and trying to determine whether the person seen wearing its delivery vest is actually employed by the company, per NBC Bay Area’s reporting.
This is not the first time a fake courier costume has turned up in a South Bay burglary. Just weeks earlier, San Jose police issued a public safety advisory warning residents about a burglary trend involving suspects posing as delivery drivers or landscapers and even planting hidden cameras to case homes, according to a San Jose Police Department advisory. That warning came just before Hoodline reported on the department’s sneaky new burglary wave alert in January.
A Pattern Playing Out Across the Bay Area
The Amazon-costume ruse has shown up elsewhere in the region this year. In April, San Bruno police arrested a 60-year-old suspect wearing an Amazon delivery vest who allegedly ran what investigators called reverse delivery routes, stealing more than 30 packages off residential porches, according to CBS News. Officers in that case used automated license plate readers in Daly City to track down the suspect’s vehicle after a tip…