Anger as Woman Calls the Cops on Neighbor for Taking Package off Porch

A woman has been vehemently slammed online after sharing that she had reported her neighbor to the police for just picking a package up off her porch.

The woman took to Reddit to chronicle how her neighbor, who she despises, had collected a parcel from her front yard while she'd been away from home, claiming that it had been addressed to him and delivered to her by mistake. While the man showed the woman some proof of the address attached to the parcel through her Ring security camera, the woman still decided to call the cops.

"I got a notification the other day that some packages were delivered, so I texted my friend [who collects my parcels while I am away] to let them know. Before my friend could get there, I got a notification from my Ring doorbell. I pulled up the live feed and saw my neighbor on my patio," the Redditor, u/RingPackageAITA, wrote on the site's AmITheA****** subreddit.

"I asked him what he was doing and he said that a package of theirs had been delivered to my house by mistake, so he was just grabbing it. I told him to leave and that my friend would bring over his package when she comes over."

She continued: "He said that he's not waiting for that and tried to leave. I told him that if he takes a package from my porch, I'm calling the cops. He shoved the package in front of the camera and said 'That's my name and address. I'm taking my package.' Then he walked away. So, I called the police and told them that he stole a package from me and that I have video proof."

The police swiftly arrived at the woman's house after informing her that they would "investigate" the incident. Her neighbors were naturally less than pleased by the ordeal, with them yelling at the woman's friend to let her know that she needs to "take the police off speed-dial" and leave them to more important matters.

The 38-year-old had shared in the viral post that she and her neighbors have a long history of not getting along.

"I live alone in the house I grew up in. It was left to me by my mother. About 4 years ago, a couple about my age moved in next door and we've pretty much been at odds since day one. There have been numerous times and issues that we've disagreed on," she wrote.

The Redditor said that she and the couple next door had clashed on countless matters prior to the heated incident, with the history of disputes stemming from conflicts over land ownership to fence heights.

"Needless to say, we're not friends. They've also thrown some loud, late-night parties that included bonfires and loud music that I had to call the cops for as well," the woman wrote in her post.

Since sharing her story online on May 13, the woman has been slammed by hundreds of users. Over 900 Redditors have shared their disapproval of the woman's handling of events in the comments section.

"Calling the police about the parties without talking to them about it first is very asshole. If it was his package and it had their name and address on it calling the cops on them was also an asshole move. You're officially an a****** neighbor now," one user wrote.

"So much unnecessary escalation," another person commented.

Psychotherapist Dr. Avigail Lev, the director of the Bay Area CBT Center, a psychological clinic that specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), told Newsweek that the Redditor should not have involved the police in her dispute with the neighbors.

"It is not appropriate to involve the police if the neighbor's name and address are on the package. The woman's actions seem passive-aggressive and retaliatory. It would have been more effective for her to communicate directly and assertively with the neighbor.

"Involving the authorities and wasting their time is unnecessary when no crime has occurred, and the package rightfully belongs to the neighbor," Lev added.

Do you have a dispute with your neighbor? Let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.

Update 07/10/2023 1.09 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to clarify comments from Dr. Avigail Lev.