Surveillance footage of a man attempting to break into a residential mailbox has a Richmond family concerned for their safety and that of their neighbours.
Jimmy Tham was in his backyard Tuesday morning, Aug. 10, when his son approached him asking what happened to their mail box, which appeared to have been broken into.
In a video Tham sent to the Richmond News, a man is seen slowly approaching Tham’s house, near Granville Avenue and No. 4 Road. The man appears to be examining Tham’s mailbox before reaching into his shoulder bag for a pair of pliers.
He is then seen attempting to puncture and pry open the mail box.
After what appears to be a couple of unsuccessful attempts, he begins to walk away while staring at Tham’s car in the driveway. The man then gets on his bike and rides off.
Tham told the Richmond News that their metal mailbox’s keyhole was damaged and a couple of panel pieces were ripped off, leaving sharp edges.
“It’s scary because we didn’t think something like this would happen to us, let alone in our neighbourhood,” said Tham.
“I thought theft would be more common at night, but this guy did it in the early morning, which makes it even more surprising.”
He added that the footage was provided to the Richmond RCMP, who said they would be “on the lookout” for the suspect.
“If this guy can break into a mail box, he will break into cars and any property. Even though it is a minor theft, he is definitely geared for bigger things considering he took a second look at my car.”
Tham is reminding everyone in the community to always lock their doors and keep valuables out of sight.
