By Donald Wittkowski
A suspected porch pirate who allegedly pilfered a lantern from a Sea Isle City home and made her getaway on a pink bicycle has returned the item after her image was circulated on social media.
Authorities still don’t know who the woman is, but she could face charges if they learn her identity, Sea Isle Police Chief Tom McQuillen said.
“If we are able to identify her at a later date, charges could be pending,” he said Friday.
McQuillen declined to divulge the address where the lantern was stolen in order to protect the privacy of the homeowner. However, he noted that once the lantern was returned, the matter “was resolved to the satisfaction of the victim.”
“We’re happy that the victim is happy. That’s what we strive for,” McQuillen said.
The alleged thief was captured by home security footage taking the decorative – though inexpensive – lantern off the front porch on Jan. 6. The incident was reported to Sea Isle police on Jan. 8.
Police first posted her image on the department’s Facebook page on Jan. 15 while seeking the public’s help in catching her. The alleged crime prompted anger in the community, including dozens of outraged posts on the SeaIsleNews.com Facebook page.
“Nothing is safe unless it’s bolted down,” one Facebook commentator wrote.
Others pointed out the oddity of an apparent thief riding around town on a pink bike.
“Pulled up in a pink bike, then steals a lamp,” another commentator said.
McQuillen is convinced that the woman’s exposure on social media is a major reason why she decided to return the lantern.
“I strongly believe that seeing that image released on social media played a role in getting that property returned,” he said.
While it was not considered a major incident, the police department took it seriously because of the brazen act of someone taking property from someone else’s home in broad daylight. Police are still trying to figure out exactly what happened.
“We want to make sure there isn’t some misunderstanding,” McQuillen said in an earlier interview. “Maybe it was just sitting there, the person saw it and fell in love with it. We just don’t know.”
McQuillen said there have been no other reports of items being stolen from porches in Sea Isle recently. He believes it was an isolated incident.
“We all have this belief that we live in a perfect society, and when someone does something like this, it kind of cuts into that,” he said. “You put something on your front porch that is decorative, and you think it will be safe there. It is a senseless incident. That is the frustrating part.”
