Package thief steals Tampa newlyweds' wedding dress

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A Tampa couple had their dream wedding last October, but this week some of their joy turned to disappointment when a thief stole Tiffany Mastropasqua's wedding dress from her doorstep.

Tiffany and Fred Mastropasqua did something many couples do after their wedding: they sent their dress out to be dry cleaned.

The couple said UPS stopped by to deliver the refreshed gown Monday, but no one was home and it required a signature.

"A gold SUV -- either an Isuzu Rodeo or a Honda Passport -- had pulled up in our circular drive just as the driver was about to leave," Tiffany said.

The man in the car claimed to be a resident of the Mastropasqua's home.

"He said, 'yes, I live here, I've been waiting for you and he signed for it and he drove off with it,'" Fred explained.

The Mastropasquas said the thief signed for the package using the name Jose.

Tiffany said she is devastated by the thought she may never see her dress again, which she had planned to store away as a keepsake.

"I'm just really sad about it. A wedding dress is something that has a lot of sentimental value," she said. "My mom and I spent two or three weeks just going around to the different bridal shops in the area and we finally found one and there's a lot of emotion that's attached to that."

"A wedding dress, you can't really replace that. That's a one-time thing," Fred added.

Andrea Davis, a spokesperson for the Tampa Police Department, said officers are trying to track down the criminal and said it's a shame the lengths homeowners have to use to protect themselves from package thieves.

"Clearly, in this case, taking the extra step of a signature, it didn't protect them. So we need to go to an even further step which is don't have things delivered to your home when you're not there," Davis said.

Fred and Tiffany believe this is actually the second time they've been hit by a package thief in less than two weeks; someone also stole a package with a new cell phone off their doorstep. They didn't realize they were likely a victim of a theft in this case until the wedding gown went missing.

The Mastropasquas said they hope the man who did this has a change of heart.

"Drive by, throw the box with the dress in it back onto the driveway! We just want the dress back," Fred said.

A UPS spokesperson said the company was looking into the situation and hoped to have a clearer understanding of what happened by Thursday.