North Providence police arrest man in connection to stolen packages

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The North Providence Police Department said a man named Nelson Ruiz admitted to stealing 20 packages from people’s homes in the city.

Police said they now have hundreds of items at the police station from the packages that were stolen Thursday afternoon.

“They pay for this with their hard-earned money,” resident Giavanna Delsanto said. “People shouldn’t be stealing other people’s packages that they buy for themselves.”

Residents of North Providence said they were “outraged” after a “porch pirate” was caught in the act.

Police said a witness saw a man get out his car and steal a package from a house on Garfield Street on Thursday.

Shortly after the initial call, police found Ruiz with dozens of packages scattered all around his car.

The department said he later admitted to stealing packages on Garfield Street and the surrounding area.

“Should I not order off Amazon?” Delsanto said. “If it’s happening to other people, it’s going to happen to me at some point. It makes me not want to buy anything at all.”

Police added there’s been a recent uptick in this type of crime.

“We are seeing an uptick where a victim may come in and report the crime for the purposes of getting recredited or having the item resent to them,” Chief Alfredo Ruggiero said.

The department is encouraging anyone who thinks they may have a package stolen to contact their department with proof of purchase, a receipt, and a description of your stolen item.