Camera Business Recovers $32K in Equipment After Suspected Uber Courier Theft

Security footage of the incident | Image via 7News.

A camera rental business almost lost over $32,600 worth of film equipment after an Uber courier driver, who was meant to be delivering the gear, allegedly cancelled the job, and drove off with it.

According to a report by 7NEWS, Rentacam, a camera rental business in Marrickville, Australia, booked an Uber courier driver to deliver filming gear to a production company on March 26.

Instead, 7NEWS reports that the Uber courier driver allegedly drove off with the filming equipment, canceled the job, and disappeared with the gear.

The gear — which included a camera, four lenses, and multiple accessories — was worth Australian $47,455 ($32,645).

@aussietopics A Marrickville business has lost almost $50,000 worth of camera equipment, suspected stolen by an Uber driver. The courier was supposed to deliver it to a production company, but he never made it. #Theft #Crime #UberDriver #Sydney #Fyp ♬ original sound – Aussie Topics🇦🇺

Security footage captured the moment the Uber courier arrived at the camera rental business to collect the gear — a common delivery method in the film industry. Staff loaded the equipment into his car, expecting it to be driven straight to Mona Vale.

“A couple of seconds later, hey Peter, the job was cancelled, I’m sending another Uber. And we were like, what do you mean you’re sending another Uber?” Rentacam’s Peter Soltys tells 7NEWS.

When the camera rental business reached out to Uber, the company said: “When they arrived at the pickup location, they were informed that the parcel had already been collected by another driver.”

“Both drivers have stated that they do not currently have the item.”

The incident prompted the company to raise concerns publicly, and 7NEWS aired a report featuring the security footage. Then, hours after the coverage, the driver reportedly came forward and contacted Soltys, saying that the equipment would be returned and that he would leave the pricey camera gear out on the street.

“He said, ‘OK, my friend will just leave it on the street.’ I said, ‘What do you mean — you can’t just leave it on the street’,” Rentacam’s Peter Soltys tells 7NEWS. “But they literally just dropped it on the street and left it there.”

The equipment was ultimately recovered without damage. Soltys thanked 7NEWS for its coverage but says he remains confused about how the situation unfolded.

“I just don’t get it. How can somebody just pick up something and just like, yeah, here we go, that’s it,” Soltys tells the Australian news outlet.

After the security video was provided, Uber says: “We’re currently reviewing this internally and attempting to contact the delivery partner involved to clarify what happened and request the return of the item.”

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Image credits: Header photo via 7NEWS.