Mesa police announced the arrest of a 28-year-old man they say is tied to a string of package thefts from residential front porches that unfolded over more than two months. Authorities identified the suspect as Luan Nguyen and said doorbell-camera footage captured him taking deliveries from homes between March 27 and June 5. Investigators say they located and recovered stolen merchandise from Nguyen’s residence after the arrest, with the items’ value totaling more than $2,800.
Doorbell-camera footage (right) shows a man bending to take packages from a Mesa front porch; police-released mugshot (left) was circulated after an arrest in the investigation into more than $2,800 in stolen deliveries, officials say.
Police say the recovered merchandise represented only part of the alleged thefts. Investigators believe Nguyen was connected to more than 15 separate package-theft incidents in Mesa and an additional similar incident in Gilbert. Authorities have described a pattern in which items left in plain view after delivery were taken in the short interval between drop-off and retrieval by the recipient or a neighbor.
Officials said some of the items seized from Nguyen’s residence appeared to have been retained for personal use, while others had been sold online. That detail emerged as detectives sifted through recovered property and digital records during their probe. The sale of stolen goods is one of the reasons prosecutors could pursue related charges beyond simple theft, law enforcement sources indicated when outlining the counts filed after the arrest.
Nguyen was booked on felony charges that include theft, trafficking in stolen property and possession of dangerous drugs. Those charges have been filed but have not yet been tested in court, and the legal process is ongoing. Police circulated images from doorbell cameras and a booking photograph as part of public appeals tied to the investigation.
Detectives said the inquiry remains active as they continue to identify other potential victims and determine whether the suspect may be linked to additional incidents beyond those already flagged. Officers asked that anyone who believes they might have been targeted, or who has information that could aid the investigation, contact Mesa police at 480-644-2211. Investigators are compiling reports and evidence from residents and from online marketplaces as they work to match items to reported thefts.
Local law enforcement emphasized the series of arrests and recoveries came after a pattern emerged from homeowner reports and distributed video footage. Doorbell and security cameras played a central role in tracing the alleged activity to the suspect, with timestamps and visual confirmation cited by investigators as key elements leading to the arrest on June 9. Police said they moved after establishing probable cause and locating multiple items taken from porches in the course of their probe.
Federal and postal authorities routinely advise measures to reduce the risk of package theft, and police reiterated those standard precautions as part of the public outreach accompanying this case. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service recommends picking up mail and packages promptly, arranging for a neighbor or friend to collect deliveries when residents are away, using hold-for-pickup services, and requesting a signature for important shipments. Mesa detectives urged residents who may have surveillance footage or transaction records showing the sale of items matching those reported stolen to come forward to assist in resolving outstanding cases.
Arizona's Family reported that investigators believe the suspect took about 20 packages across Mesa, with the combined value of those deliveries described as nearly $3,000.