Fall River man arrested by police after being accused of playing Grinch as a porch pirate stealing Christmas presents

A Fall River man is being accused of acting like a Grinch just days before Christmas by stealing presents.

According to Sergeant Moses Pereira, on December 15, a suspect was captured on video surveillance removing three packages from the porch of a residence located on the 1500 block of Robeson St. Those packages contained Christmas presents for family members.

After an extensive investigation, Det. Nicholas Custadio was able to identify the suspect as 43-year-old Joseph Machado of Fall River.

Machado was arrested for the “Porch Pirate” style theft by members of the Major Crimes Division on Tuesday.

Machado is charged with larceny under $1200.

Detectives have also identified an accomplice, who assisted Machado in the theft. Those charges will be filed with the District Court. The suspect’s name was not released.

Pereira stated that residents are urged to avoid leaving their packages unattended for lengthy periods of time and to keep an eye out for their neighbors.

Anyone who observes suspicious activity is asked to contact the Fall River Police Department.