This woman called the police on her neighbor after he supposedly stole a package from her porch while she was visiting family. Did she do the right thing, or was she overreacting?
Not-So-Good Neighbors?
OP (Original Poster) is a 38-year-old woman who lives in the house she inherited from her mom, who passed away 10 years ago. It was the home she grew up in, so she was very attached to it.
Around four years before this story was posted, OP said that a couple close to her age moved in next door, and they’ve not gotten along since the first day they met. She said, “There have been numerous times and issues that we’ve disagreed on.”
One of the Incidents
OP has three cats, and her neighbors have a dog. She would let her cats go to her backyard, but their dog would jump the five-foot chain link fence separating their yards.
Their dog will then chase after her cats.
I’ll Call the Cops the Next Time
She told her neighbors that if she caught their dog on her side of the fence again, she’d call the cops on them. OP also got annoyed that her neighbors asked if she would split the cost of a taller fence.
She said, “They actually had the audacity to ask if I would be willing to split the cost of a taller privacy fence instead of, you know, training your dog not to jump the fence.”
Not My Problem
OP immediately refused because she believed she was not the one causing any issues. She also mentioned that the fence was on their property; it was their responsibility.
Her neighbors ended up putting in a higher fence on their own.
The Ash Tree
After the dog incident, OP said her neighbors asked her to split the cost of taking down the Ash tree on their property. Her neighbors said the tree had been infested with a bug, slowly killing it and making its branches fall all over their driveway.
Part of It Is on Your Property
It turns out that her neighbors had the tree surveyed, and 10% of it was on her property. However, again, OP wouldn’t compromise.
She shared, “I told them the tree was theirs, and if they want it down, they’ll have to pay for it because I don’t have a problem with it.”
Late-Night Parties
OP also shared that her neighbors sometimes throw late-night parties. She said they were loud, played music on full blast, and had bonfires, too.
She ended up calling the cops on them for these things as well. It was obvious that OP and her neighbors were not friends at all.
Out of Town
One day, OP left town to visit some of her family. However, since she had medication for her cats delivered regularly, she asked her friend to visit and check her house often.
She said, “I have a friend who comes over to my house every day to check on my cats and check for mail and packages.”
Notifications
The day before this story was posted, OP received a notification that a package was delivered, so she asked her friend to come over and check. However, before her friend arrived, she got another notification from her Ring doorbell.
She immediately checked Ring’s live feed and saw her neighbor on her patio. She shared, “I asked him what he was doing, and he said a package of theirs got delivered to my house by mistake, so he was just grabbing it.”
Assuming the Worst of Him
OP wouldn’t have it and asked him to leave; she told him he’d get his package after her friend got there, checked it, and brought it to their house.
She even threatened him, saying, “I told him if he takes a package from my porch, I’m calling the cops.”
Not Letting Things Go
OP’s neighbor was also starting to get agitated, so he grabbed the package, placed it right in front of her Ring camera, and said, “That’s my name and address, OP. I’m taking my package.”
After that, her neighbor walked away; instead of letting it go, OP still called the cops! She shared, “I called the police and told them that he stole a package from me, and I have video proof. They said they would investigate.”
Police Investigation
Later, OP’s friend arrived and saw the cops talking to OP’s neighbors. When she finished checking on OP’s cats and walked out, she noticed the cops were gone, and only OP’s neighbors were left standing outside.
OP’s neighbors were so mad that they yelled at her friend and told her to tell OP that “I’m a huge a**hole and that I need to take the police off speed-dial and let them deal with more important s**t instead of using them as my own personal problem-solving service.”
What the Community Thinks
People called OP out for all the “unnecessary escalation” she’d been doing.
A top comment was, “You’re the a**hole. I get the fence thing. You could have pitched in on the tree just to chill things out. Calling the police about the parties without talking to them about it first is very a**hole. If it was his package and it had their name and address on it, calling the cops on them was also an a**hole move. You’re officially an a**hole neighbor now.”
You Were Too Much
Some Redditors see OP’s point that her neighbors were awful at times. However, what she did wasn’t justified.
One said, “They sound like absolutely awful neighbors, and under any other circumstances, I’d side with you in a second. But you called the cops and accused them of stealing their own package. They didn’t steal from you; they fetched something that belonged to them off your porch. And while yes, I suppose they were trespassing, if you get medication delivered, then you know that sometimes packages can’t wait, and perhaps this was a situation like that—and it doesn’t sound like you cared to listen to anything they had to explain. If you want to be seen as the better person than you’re an a**hole, then you have to actually be the better person.”
It Seems Like a “You” Problem
The community was calling out OP for seemingly exaggerating things and overreacting. One said, “I have a feeling those ‘wild parties’ are just friends hanging out in the backyard.”
Another Redditor shared, “The more I read this, the more I think you’re the a**hole, and any sympathy I have for you regarding your neighbors’ activities is merely the result of the spin you’ve placed on events. I think you are that neighbor.”
What Do You Think?
Could OP have handled things better? Do you think her actions were justified?
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This post first appeared as She Called the Cops on Her Neighbor After He “Stole” His Package Off of Her Porch When It Was Delivered Incorrectly on Quote Ambition.
