Living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side means convenience, charm, and energy, but also a growing package theft problem. From Broadway to Amsterdam Avenue, residents are struggling with porch pirates, missed deliveries, or lost mail.
Amazon, USPS, and UPS route mapping indicates that 10023, 10024, and 10025 ZIP codes see an estimated 28,000-32,000 packages per day, making the Upper West Side one of Manhattan's highest-volume residential delivery zones.
High volume + aging building layouts = higher theft risk.
That’s where Stowfly comes in: a secure, affordable, and flexible package receiving service designed for New Yorkers, so your deliveries stay secure and convenient, ready for pick-up at a time that suits your schedule.
Learn how to rent a cheap PO Box or private mailbox for your deliveries. Explore Stowfly’s package holding service that securely accepts parcels from Amazon, UPS, USPS & FedEx.
The Upper West Side has long been a blend of historic charm and modern bustle, where elegant brownstones line tree-filled blocks and delivery vans crawl through Broadway and Amsterdam every few minutes. But for many who call the Upper West Side home, especially residents at Broadway Ave NY, 72nd St NY, and Amsterdam Ave, a troubling pattern has emerged: package theft, missed deliveries, and lost packages have become disturbingly common.
According to NYC 311 service data, the Upper West Side-or Community District 7-saw over 1,200 missing package complaints in the last 12 months, up 17% year-over-year, which underlines how fast the problem is growing even in well-maintained buildings.
New York City ranks as the worst city in America for package theft, with nearly 90,000 packages going missing every day. While Manhattan as a whole is affected, the Upper West Side’s high density and aging building infrastructure create a perfect storm.
At W 72nd Street, residents have reported delivery drivers dropping boxes in open lobbies with no cameras or supervision.
At Amsterdam Avenue, tenants describe packages marked “Delivered” that never appear.
Around Broadway Ave, frequent mis-deliveries and stolen Amazon packages have prompted entire co-ops to install security cameras.
CrimeGrade data estimates annual theft losses on the Upper West Side at nearly $12.8 million, roughly $54 per resident per year, a figure that includes package theft and lobby theft.
NYPD CompStat data from the 20th and 24th Precincts indicates that petit larceny, the category covering package theft is up 8.3% year over year, with police noting that most incidents involve "non-forced entry," meaning parcels were stolen from unlocked lobbies or vestibules.
Reddit threads and neighborhood forums tell a similar story.
One Upper West Side resident lamented:
“Our entire building has had packages stolen recently, about six in the past few months. No cameras. No recourse.”
Another described the frustration of Amazon missing packages marked “Delivered” even though they were home all day. Others vented about UPS lost packages and FedEx stolen packages dumped in unguarded lobbies.
On social platforms, residents near West 72nd Street have even begun swapping photos of suspicious visitors caught walking off with deliveries, modern-day “porch pirates” in hallways instead of porches.
Community message boards also show theft spikes near subway entrances at W 72nd, W 79th, and W 96th Streets, areas police call “opportunistic theft corridors” due to heavy pedestrian flow and quick escape routes.
A neighborhood survey that will be released this year found that 62 percent of Upper West Side residential buildings from W 59th to W 110th Street don't have a dedicated package room and 41 percent use completely unsecured vestibules where deliveries sit openly, conditions that significantly heighten theft risk.
Even newly added lobby cameras haven't solved the problem: precinct reports show that fewer than 27% of recorded package theft incidents result in an arrest or identification, largely because thieves blend into normal delivery foot traffic.
In fact, Manhattan co-op board surveys showed that buildings adding secure alternate delivery pickup points such as Stowfly saw as much as a 78% reduction in package theft in as little as two months and residents saved an estimated $180-$250 annually in avoided losses.
Independent Upper West Side businesses, including bodegas, small grocers, and local shops, have increasingly partnered with alternate delivery services. More than 40 Upper West Side storefronts participated in package holding programs in 2023-24, giving residents more secure pickup points than ever before.
1. Create a Neighborhood Network
Start or join a local delivery-watch chat on platforms like Nextdoor or WhatsApp. Many Upper West Side buildings have formed small resident groups to track deliveries, share suspicious activity, and help return mis-delivered parcels quickly. One message can prevent multiple thefts.
2. Choose Safer Delivery Windows
Most package thefts in NYC happen between 12 PM and 5 PM, when many residents are out. Try scheduling deliveries for early morning or late evening slots when someone’s more likely to be home, or use an alternate pickup address during work hours.
3. Add Delivery Instructions That Matter
Couriers often default to leaving packages in unsafe spots. Always include clear instructions like “Leave with super” or “Call upon arrival”. Even a short note in your delivery app can make the difference between a safe delivery and a missing one.
4. Keep Track with Technology
Free tools like ParcelApp, Shop, and AfterShip let you monitor real-time delivery locations. Enable push notifications so you can act fast if a package is marked “delivered” but isn’t there.
5. Support Community Solutions
The more residents use secure delivery options, package lockers, pickup points, or verified local businesses, the harder it becomes for theft to thrive. Encourage your building management to explore shared locker spaces or delivery concierge partnerships.
6. Know Your Rights
If your package is stolen, file both a police report and a claim with the carrier (Amazon, UPS, USPS, or FedEx). In many cases, replacements are possible if theft is reported within 48 hours. Save order confirmations and delivery updates as evidence.
ZIP-code-level tracking shows that theft risk varies sharply across the Upper West Side:
Imagine this: instead of worrying whether your delivery is still sitting in your lobby, you redirect it to a private package receiving address right in your neighborhood. That’s what Stowfly offers, a secure, affordable alternative to traditional PO Boxes.
Each verified Stowfly partner location acts as a package pickup service near me, accepting packages from Amazon, USPS, UPS, and FedEx. Once your item arrives, you receive a digital notification with a secure unique pick-up PIN. You can retrieve your parcel whenever convenient, no stress, no stolen boxes, no “missed delivery” stickers.
Discover our Upper West Side network of trusted partner shops.Find package receiving services PO Box rental options, near Sweetgreen Amsterdam Ave & West 72nd St. near Josephs Pharmacy
Claim your secure Upper West Side package pickup spot near you now. Get your first month free.
This makes Stowfly ideal for apartment dwellers, students, freelancers, and professionals who order frequently but lack 24/7 doorman service.
If you’ve ever searched “how to get a PO Box near me” or “cheap mailbox rental Upper West Side”, you know the traditional USPS route requires ID, fixed hours, and limited carrier compatibility. Stowfly streamlines this.
Living or working near Broadway Ave?
Secure your packages safely near Pinky New York spot or near West Side Community Garden location.
It’s the simplest way to eliminate porch pirates, stolen packages, missed packages, and lost packages, while also supporting local Upper West Side businesses.
Package theft isn’t just a personal inconvenience, it’s a community issue. The Upper West Side thrives because of its neighborly spirit, and tackling this challenge works best when residents share information, report incidents, and use smarter delivery habits together.
The next time you shop online, think about where your delivery ends up, because every secure delivery helps make the neighborhood a little safer for everyone.