Man steals Christmas gifts, sought by police

Cops are searching for a man who snatched a box of Christmas gifts from the front porch of a home in Southwest Center City and walked off with it on Dec. 14.

The thief approached a house on Chadwick Street near Catherine just after 5 p.m. and noticed a package police said was stuffed with tennis shoes and other goods that were purchased as Christmas gifts.

Police said the box had only recently been delivered to the address when the man stole it. After the man grabbed the box of gifts, he fled east on Catherine Street toward 16th, police said.

A surveillance camera in the neighborhood caught footage of the suspect walking through the area, and police posted it online in hopes that help from the public will help identify the man.

The suspect is described as a thin African-American man who was wearing a baseball cap and may have been carrying a travel coffee mug.

Tipsters are asked to call the police tip line at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or leave a tip online.