According to an Xfinity Home report, nearly one-third of Americans had their packages stolen from outside their home in 2017. Frustrated by the shocking statistic, and more so after discovering an Amazon package was swiped from outside of his home, former NASA engineer Mark Rober decided to avenge all those who’ve fallen victim by designing the ultimate booby trap.
In a video posted on his youtube channel, the 38-year-old who spent seven years working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, said his engineering experience prompted him to take matters into his own hands against the so-called “porch pirates” — jerks who steal packages off people’s doorsteps — especially after he was told by police that the crime that took place outside of his home wasn’t worth their time to investigate even though Rober`s security cameras had caught a pair of thieves red-handed.
In his video entitled “Package Thief vs. Glitter Bomb Trap,” Rober explains how he spent six months developing a baited box loaded with glitter that would blast a future thief when opened, and fart spray – smelling so bad you won’t know what to do with yourself. The over-engineered bait package also uses motion sensors, GPS tracking, and takes cellphone video of the culprits.
“I just felt like something needs to be done to take a stand against dishonest punks like this,” and “if anyone was going to make a revenge…package and over-engineer the crap out of it, it was going to be me,” said Rober, whose viral video has so far received nearly 52 million views since being posted on Dec. 17, 2018.
The 11 minutes long clip covers the engineering of these devices, but the coolest part is watching them detonate on real suspects. Though we have to admit, instead of glitter Rober should have used dye packs. Imaging having to explain to your boss why your blue.
“The moral of the story is, just don’t take other peoples’ stuff,” Rober said. “Not only is it not cool, but on the plus side you’ll never find yourself in this situation.”
Update: Rober has admitted in an apology that elements of his video – specifically, the burglars’ responses to the glitter bomb – were staged.
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