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Pitts Stop: Somerville Man Hopes Creation Will Deliver Protection From Package Theft

BOSTON (CBS) – Twenty-three million Americans say they've had a package stolen right off their door step. Somerville resident Jeremy Ott says he knows the feeling all too well.

"It's awful. You come home after a long day of work, you're excited about whatever you just bought online and you find out it's gone. I've had it happen to me a couple of times already and it's no fun at all," says Ott.

Somerville resident and former Shark Tank contestant Jamie Manning says he watched viral videos of packages being swiped off doorsteps for too long.

"I said you know what I've let two years go by. I've got to do something about it," Manning told WBZ-TV.

So Manning invented BaggaBox, a heavy duty canvas bag.

BaggaBox
Jamie Manning shows how his BaggaBox invention works. (WBZ-TV)

It's waterproof to protect electronics or clothing in wet weather, with a cut resistant wire mesh lining. Manning also made it easy to use for any delivery service.

"You just drop the package right in. Then all they have to do is cinch it shut," he explained. "That secures the BaggaBox. There's no way you can take this off just using your hands."

While a determined thief with the right set of tools could break into BaggaBox, police say people stealing packages aren't looking for the hassle.

"If they see a deterrent that's going to make it difficult for them to walk away with the package, they will move on to the next home," says Jeremy Warnick, communications director for the Cambridge Police Department.

It's a crime of opportunity that Manning hopes there will be less opportunity for.

"It conceals it from the public, it locks it and creates enough deterrence that someone is not going to steal it," he said.

BaggaBox is still in its Kickstarter phrase with fundraising ending Sunday. Manning is hoping to have the first batch of bags ready sometime this summer, well in advance of the holiday season.

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