I Think I Witnessed a Crime at a Poughkeepsie Grocery Store

I'm not an expert but I think I have seen enough episodes of Law & Order to figure this one out.

It appears that retail theft and petit larceny have been on the rise all across the country for several years now. Major cities have just now started to crack down on offenders.

These numbers aren't easy to track down as a lot of these crimes go undetected or unreported but it's hard not to see them. Many of us have seen videos all over social media where people shamelessly load carts with products that they didn't pay for and just walk out to their car and seemingly leave with no repercussions.

A video went viral a few years ago when a local business owner tried to call out a suspected thief at a Home Depot in Dutchess County. The incident was captured on video in December 2021.

These kinds of crimes hurt businesses but they also take a toll on the consumer as stores affected by shoplifting often raise prices.

I'm going to leave the name of the store anonymous but as I was walking into the grocery store today I saw a young man in a hat and sunglasses sprint out of the door and right past me. He looked like he was leaving in a hurry holding two large packages of fireworks and he was constantly looking behind him. When he got to the parking lot he sprinted to his car which was running and in a handicap spot and threw his items in the backseat.

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I was suspicious but I gave him the benefit of the doubt. I wondered why someone would steal fireworks especially if he seemed old enough to buy them. When I got inside and looked at the fireworks display I figured it out. He was carrying two boxes that were priced at over $120 each.

You don't need to be Columbo to figure this mystery out.

Have you witnessed a crime before?