Teen porch pirates steal bride-to-be’s wedding dress off front porch, couple says

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) - An engaged couple is asking for help after a group of teenagers stole the bride-to-be’s wedding dress from their front porch.

Emily Kronick said she had dreamed of getting married ever since she was a little girl. She said the white gown was perfect, and when she received the notification that it was delivered, she was excited to get home and see it in person.

But instead of wedding bells, the couple told KOLD they came home to a lot of chaos and notifications on their security system.

“We both were like no way, there’s no way that, out of everything we’ve ever gotten delivered, that this is the package that was taken,” Kronick said.

Kronick said she and her fiancé Joseph were out of town visiting family and planning their wedding. When she received the notification the dress was delivered, she said she assumed it was in the mailbox.

Instead, the security footage showed the package was delivered to the front porch, and a group of teenagers took advantage, Kronick said. The thieves covered their faces and ran to get away.

“I wouldn’t have cared if it was something from Amazon, but for my fiancé's wedding dress to be stolen, of all things,” said Joseph Varela. “That’s why I’m trying to get out and see if someone recognizes these children.”

The couple has filed a police report with Pima County Sheriff’s Department, and for now they’re hoping the dress shows up because Kronick can’t buy another one.

Varela is offering a $100 reward for any information that will help them locate the dress and the suspects.

Anyone who may know something about the event is asked to send an email to 520stolendress@gmail.com.

“I would’ve figured my no trespassing sign, my United States Marine flag, my American flag and my cameras would have been enough to deter,” Varela said. “It deterred the first one but the other two were a little more interested. Unfortunately, they messed with the wrong marine.”

With packages delivered ahead of the holidays, the Tucson Police Department wants to remind everyone to:

• Install a doorbell camera, and make it known that you have one or a home security system.
• Use Package Tracking to be better prepared for your package arrival, maybe let a trusted neighbor know too.
• Have your package delivered to your work if you can’t be at home or a pick-up locker (Amazon locker.)
• Lastly, be proactive, recover your packages as soon as you can and call 911 if you are a victim of porch pirates or see that your neighbor’s packages are stolen.

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