NEW HOPE, Minn - A half dozen homes in New Hope were hit by package thieves this week, but it didn't take police very long to figure out who did it.
"This one worked out very well," New Hope Police Captain Scott Slawson says.
That's because police had some extra help from a few vigilant homeowners who gave them everything they needed to arrest both people involved in this recent spree.
The neighborhood sits in a new development along Utah Avenue.
David Reynolds was the first to move in and immediately started a neighborhood watch group.
"I lived in a place for 15 years before this and didn't know half my neighbors," Reynolds explains. "I didn't want to do that again."
He says their Facebook page has at least one member from every home in the neighborhood.
"We share information that everybody needs to know," Reynolds says.
That active Facebook group came in handy earlier this week when two package thieves hit the neighborhood on Monday and Tuesday.
"We've identified 6 victims, five of them in New Hope, one of them in Brooklyn Park," Captain Slawson says.
Robert Pittman was one of those victims.
He was home Tuesday afternoon when the thieves took a package from his front step.
"I got up to look out the window. I saw him throw the package into the car and take off," Pittman explains.
Within a few minutes Pittman's wife had posted the encounter on the neighborhood Facebook page.
However, they weren't the only ones with a missing package.
Another theft on Monday was captured by one of their neighbor's home surveillance camera.
Police say the video will help them prosecute the two thieves, because it clearly shows one of their faces.
Other neighbors also provided police with the vehicle's description and license plate.
"This is a very in tune neighborhood," Captain Slawson says.
Police say package thefts are becoming more common thanks to the popularity of online shopping.
They encourage homeowners who buy a lot of products online to consider starting a neighborhood page online.