'Didn't know if he was trying to break in': Florida couple spooked by 3 a.m. Amazon delivery
TAVARES, Fla. - When a stranger came to Steve Glessner's door, around 3:30 am this week, it gave him and his wife a start. "All we saw was some guy at the front door with a light, you know? So we didn't know, she didn't know if he was trying to break in, or not," he said.
What their security captured on video was an Amazon driver dropping off a package at his Tavares home in the wee hours of the morning.
Glessner said he'd never gotten a delivery at that time. "Sometimes we'll come home and see a package there, or sometimes they'll come at seven or eight o'clock at night, that's happened before. But never that time of the morning, and that's what kind of got me concerned."
Glessner said he worried about the courier's safety, working overnight. "You never know whose property you're going to go up to, and you don't know if they'll shoot you or not, you know how people are!"
An Amazon representative said it was not unheard of for their drivers to make overnight drop-offs, especially if a customer orders an item for same-day delivery. They encouraged homeowners to leave on their outside lights if they were expecting a package to make it easier for their couriers.
Tavares Police said it was unusual for a delivery driver to be making a 3 a.m. drop-off. Officer Courtney Sullivan said that if a homeowner felt unsafe, give them a call.
"If we determine that it's an Amazon driver, let's say, like in this situation it's an Amazon driver that's delivering at 3 a.m, we would let the homeowner know that."
In a prepared statement to FOX 35, Steve Kelly, a spokesperson for Amazon, said: "With deliveries occurring throughout the day and evening, customers are able to track their packages, see estimated times of delivery, and plan accordingly. Customers can also help keep drivers safe by turning on their outdoor lights and keeping their dogs inside when a delivery is scheduled."
Amazon also allows customers to choose how and when they want their items to be delivered. For example, people can sometimes choose the date, whether they want it to be delivered to a home, business, or one of their Amazon Locker locations.