BERKLEY (WWJ) -- 'Tis the season to be jolly, and to keep an eye out for "porch pirates" in Metro Detroit.
Packages delivered to peoples' porches are coming up missing — a crime that authorities say tends to increase around the holidays.
Det. Lt. Andrew Hadfield says the Berkley Police Department recently got some help in nabbing a pair who were caught "working" on Bacon Street, near 11 Mile Rd. and Greenfield.
"We received a 911 call from a resident that observed two subjects stealing a package off a porch," Hadfield told WWJ's Mike Campbell. "The officers arrived in the area and located the vehicle about a block away, as they were attempting to steal another package off a porch."
After taking two young men into custody, the lieutenant said Berkley officers found more than 20 stolen packages in the suspects' 2010 Dodge Caravan, along with discarded packaging material.
Hadfield some of the items in the van had been taken from homes in Berkley, and some were from surrounding cities.
"We were able to get in touch with several residents, because we did have the address labels in the vehicle," he said. "They were attempting to rip those off so that you couldn't identify the package, but we were able to find those labels and get most of those packages back to the residents."
Other recovered items are still unclaimed.
Police said the suspects, both from Detroit, admitted they were taking packages off porches to "make a few extra bucks." Police said the thefts appear to be from the past two weeks in the Metro Detroit area, although it is believed the the pair has been at this for awhile.
The suspects are identified as a 17-year old juvenile (name withheld), and 20-year-old Amir Walker.
Walker was arraigned Monday on two counts of larceny under $200, but may be pending other additional charges once all the victims are identified, police said. His bond was set at $5,000.
As the investigation continues, anyone who may have had a package stolen in the past few days is asked to call their local police department, which may be able to help you get your items back.