3 college roommates chase porch pirate in Bridgeport, Connecticut

BRIDGEPORT, Connecticut — Three college roommates take matters into their own hands while chasing a suspected porch pirate.

We could call this the nightmare before Halloween. The video shows an alleged thief snatching a package containing costumes from a porch in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“I swear, if this is my Halloween costume,” you hear one of the women say in the video.

Although not recommended by law enforcement, the victims reacted instinctively and pursued the suspect in their cars.

“At that moment it was like fight or flight, and I thought if I reordered, none of the packages would be here,” said shoplifting victim Avery Barnes.

“Then we jumped in and followed him outside,” said burglary victim Hannah Taggart.

“Yes, if we’re doing this, we’re doing it together,” said burglary victim Leora Stieglitz.

“Do you want the police to be called? Give me the package!” They said this to the suspect.

“I felt invincible at that moment. I know now that it could end very badly,” Barnes said.

The young women called the police, holding packages filled with Halloween costumes, medicine and some TV cables.

“We filed a report with the police and they told us it wasn’t safe,” Taggart said.

Porch pirates caused theft of up to $8 billion last year alone and appear to be getting more brazen.

In June, ABC’s Rebecca Jarvis hit the road with members of Washington, D.C.’s Fifth Precinct Metropolitan Police Department on one of their decoy pack operations.

Officers are working with community members who leave packages equipped with AirTags in high-crime areas in hopes of reducing such thefts.

“For people to know that this happened their way, it keeps people from doing it because they’re afraid that package might have been dropped off by the police department,” Jarvis said.

“That’s true. And that’s the point. It’s looking at behavioral change rather than punitive change,” said Commander Sylvan Altieri of the Metropolitan Police Department.

The program led to a 17% reduction in thefts.