Baltimore woman searches for neighbor who returned stolen boxes

Jiri Cruz is looking for the neighbor who returned two stolen boxes after a break-in on Druid Hill Avenue in West Baltimore on Sunday morning, June 22. Cruz learned about the theft when a neighbor contacted her, then checked her doorbell-camera footage and saw the stolen packages back on her doorstep.

The footage showed a neighbor carrying the boxes and placing them on Cruz’s porch. Cruz said she wants to thank the Good Samaritan in person and give the person a thank-you card. The stolen items were materials for a community garden in Milton-Montford, bought with grant money and crowdfunded donations, including a garden bed and a doggy waste bin.

Neighbors told Cruz that two men in black hoodies and black masks broke the windows during the theft. No cameras in the area captured the break-in, and no suspects had been arrested. The materials were meant for a shared green space in Milton-Montford, where neighbors were waiting for them.

Milton-Montford, in East Baltimore, has a community garden and a Milton Street rain garden.

More than 1,900 cars had been broken into so far in 2026, according to Baltimore Police’s Public Crime Map. In Federal Hill, 35 cars were broken into over one weekend in July 2025, with police placing the incidents on the unit block and 200 block of East Montgomery Street, the 600 block of South Charles Street, and the 600 block of Washington Boulevard near Camden Yards.

A car is stolen every 27 minutes in the state, according to Maryland State Police, which advises residents to lock doors, keep valuables out of sight, and use anti-theft devices.