Sunday, April 29, 2018

Pflugerville Neighbors Help Identify Package Thief




Pflugerville neighbors band together to help track down a suspected package thief.

Security video taken on March 30 from a doorbell camera shows a man in the Greenridge subdivision of Pflugerville standing on the porch, then taking a small package.

The homeowner spoke to us by phone and said the package contained expensive mascara, and the suspected thief also took a package of tomatoes from another neighbor.

A still frame of the man was posted to the Nextdoor app. HOA board member Anthony Nguyen asked the poster if he had video and that’s when Nguyen said it “kind of exploded.”

Nguyen edited good quality video from two different security cameras together and posted it on multiple Facebook groups and YouTube. The post was shared over 2,600 times.

“This is probably seen as a minor crime to the police department,” said Nguyen. “I care about what happens in my community, I want everyone to feel safe in this area.”

A few leads started to come to Nguyen’s inbox. One anonymous tip helped Pflugerville Police identify the man as Tyler Chase Rudolph. He’s now wanted for two counts of theft.

Detective Michael De LaRosa said the neighborhood community “played a huge role” in helping identify the suspect. He hasn’t been arrested, but authorities are one step closer.

De Larosa encourages residents to not only get a doorbell camera of any kind for their home but also register with their Digital Neighborhood Watch Program. Pflugerville Police make a list of all those who have cameras -- that way if something were to happen, and they need video evidence, they can see if any security cameras are in the area.