Whether it's a result of the heightened cost of living in Toronto or simply because people are becoming more brazen, thieves in the city are going to unusually desperate lengths lately, stealing everything from cars and bikes to strollers and plants from people's front yards.

Community Facebook groups and hyperlocal social media app Nextdoor have been buzzing with cautionary tales and security camera footage showing perpetrators in the act, though it doesn't seem that many victims receive any sort of resolution apart from being able to vent their frustrations and warn their neighbours.

People in Toronto keep getting busted stealing plants and more from neighbours https://t.co/pKmLAf7xab #Toronto #Theft

— blogTO (@blogTO) July 24, 2023

Vehicles, packages and pricier items have always been prime targets, but in the last week, there have been at least two incidents where culprits in the GTA have elected to pilfer items of virtually no value that no one would ever think would go missing — worn running shoes.

One resident shared their experience on Nextdoor last week, posting a video of someone stealing two pairs of used running shoes off of a dining table in their backyard.

"Below is footage of someone walking through my neighbour's fence (which is under construction), walking up to our back door and stealing two pairs of running shoes. I also had a bike stolen out of my backyard about a month ago — I'm feeling very creeped out," they wrote alongside the verifiably disturbing clip.

A Regent Park resident shared security footage of someone slinking into their backyard and stealing two pairs of worn running shoes in the middle of the night. Screengrab from Nextdoor.

Just days later, another recording of someone stealing shoes started going viral on TikTok and Instagram — this time, from Brampton.

In the video, a person can be seen not just stealing from someone's lawn or front stoop, but boldly opening a glass door and stepping into a home's entranceway, just feet from its occupants.

The man, wearing a Blue Jays cap and basic street clothes, assesses the enclosed porch full of shoes and grabs five pairs from the floor and a shoe rack against the wall, stuffing them into a bag that appears to be quite full of potentially stolen wares already.

"Shoes are not safe in Brampton," the original poster wrote overtop of the clip with sad and laugh-crying emojis. The TikTok has garnered 181k views and counting, and was reposted by multiple local Instagram accounts, where people have been quick to condemn the act.

"Bro this country [has] turned to 3rd world country. Stealing shoes? Come on now," one person wrote. "Wow, how pathetic [do] you have to be to do this?" another added.

Others suggested keeping any and all personal items behind a locked door, and checking Facebook Marketplace for the purloined goods.

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In response to both cases, people generally seem uneasy that criminals are resorting to looting such items, and entering private property to do so, meaning that nothing is safe.

As one commenter said on Nextdoor, "Watching that totally creeps me out as well, it almost makes it more unsettling to see him stealing used shoes (compared to something they could sell for some decent profit) — you really can't leave anything out."