Finally! There is a way to get back at package thieves, otherwise known as “Porch Pirates.” YouTube engineer, Mark Rober, developed a Glitter Bomb that, when opened, shoots out a cloud of glitter and a very foul odor.
The very intricate design took Rober over four years to develop. Not only does the Glitter Bomb live up to its name by spreading glitter in every direction, but the foul skunk spray shoots out all over the would-be bandits and then a car horn and police siren deafen them, while flashing red and blue lights complete the experience.
It appears that the noxious smell alone was nearly enough to knock over “Home Alone” actor Macaulay Culkin when Rober demonstrated the gadget to him on his YouTube video.
If that is not enough, the design includes four cell phones that record, with audio and visual, a 360-view of the thief. The footage is then uploaded to the cloud. Genius right?!
In his latest YouTube video, which has amassed 17 million views in the past week, Rober shows the results of what happened when he staged the “Glitter Bombs” on porches and in cars.
In the video, Rober places the Glitter Bomb on a “welcome mat” engineered to charge the glitter bomb, ensuring that it will have a full charge when and if it is stolen.
Rober’s solution of the Glitter Bomb would really come in handy as porch pirates are a growing problem. According to a Safewise survey, over 210 million packages were stolen from porches in the United States in 2021.
San Antonio, Texas, came in at number five out of the ten worst states for package thefts, followed by Austin, Texas, which came in at number six.
The survey also reports that three out of four people are victims of porch pirates. Rober was one of them, and he became increasingly frustrated when law enforcement could not do anything to capture the thieves who invaded his neighborhood’s porches and cars.
You would think Glitter Bombs would be flying off the shelves; however, as Rober mentions in his video, his lawyers told him he could not sell his gadget. So, for now, we will only be able to watch the cool videos of thieves being pelted with tons of glitter and smelly sprays, and, hopefully, one day, Rober will create a version that he can sell.