A frustrated Sydney resident has hit out at an alleged thief who was captured on camera appearing to swipe his groceries from outside his Zetland apartment.
The man, who wishes not to be named, said the HelloFresh box, filled with fresh ingredients, was outside their home on Tuesday, but before he could take it upstairs, “someone has gone through and taken all of our groceries for the week”.
The frustrated resident told Yahoo News Australia his partner made the discovery when she left to walk the dog. That’s when she spotted the HelloFresh box open, sitting empty at their doorstep on Grandstand Parade in the popular inner-west suburb.
HelloFresh alleged theft caught on CCTV
CCTV footage shared with Yahoo appears to show the alleged culprit in the act, which, according to the timestamp, occurred at 3.53 am.
A person pushing a trolley is seen walking past the block before suddenly coming to a stop. Dressed head to toe in dark clothing, they pull a bag from the trolley and proceed to walk up the step towards the front door where the grocery box awaits.
The full footage shows the person curled over in the bottom right corner of the clip for 45 seconds before eventually standing and walking back towards the trolley with two loaded bags — believed to be the contents of the HelloFresh box.
Grocery theft a ‘kick in the nuts’
The Sydney man admitted the incident frustrated both him and his partner — but not because the food he paid for had been taken.
“I understand some people need help, but what has really fired me up is that they have left the box and all the papers which I then have to remove and throw out,” he said, describing the move as a “kick in the nuts”.
“If anyone needs help I am more than happy to share food, clothing but just don’t steal,” he added in a post on Facebook where he alerted other residents of the alleged crime.
‘Big problem in the area’
Worryingly, the man told Yahoo “it’s a big big problem in the area” and claimed it’s not the first time it’s happened. “The other problem is that there is an increased amount of theft in the area, we even have people waiting by parking gates to sneak in,” he said. Yahoo has contacted NSW Police for information.
In 2019, A Current Affair reported on a string of food delivery thefts that were carried out across Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Alleged thieves were captured on video taking packages from homes, including HelloFreash and Marley Spoon ingredient boxes.
Due to soaring food prices in 2022, supermarkets also saw an increase in theft across the country. An IGA manager from a store in Tasmania said she’s never seen the rate of shoplifting as high as what it is now after detailing the moment “brazen” thieves stormed her store while she was working.
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