A thief has allegedly been stealing gifts off the front porch of a Melville home.

The Hasbrouck family says their camera caught someone stealing packages three times in the past few weeks while they were out of town.

"We were watching the cameras and the packages are there," said Fred Hasbrouck. "Then we see this guy walk into the frame and pick up the packages and leave."

The couple didn't expect the bandit to show up again on Christmas Eve, but he did. They say they cleaned out cat litter and put it in a package in case he did return.

The Hasbroucks filed a police report and are checking with neighbors to see if anyone else had something stolen.

They say they are disappointed because a lot of the presents they were looking forward to will not be there for Christmas.

Police are advising homeowners to have packages delivered somewhere where they can be taken in quickly or picked up by someone they know.