$10k in frozen meat stolen from truck in Philadelphia, second cargo theft this week
Third frozen food truck theft hits Northeast Philly
A series of cargo thefts hits northeast Philadelphia, including stolen snow crab meat and beef worth thousands, as police continue their investigation.
PHILADELPHIA - Police in Philadelphia are investigating a cargo heist for the second time this week, this time involving multiple pallets of frozen meat.
What we know:
Investigators say the heist happened just after 4 a.m. on the 5200 block of Devereaux Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.
The driver of the truck was asleep inside his cab when he heard movement outside and witnessed at least three people stealing cargo.
Investigators believe the suspects cut the rear padlock of the trailer and removed five pallets of beef valued at about $10,000.
The truck driver captured cell phone video of the suspects' vehicles, a gray Nissan and two dark-colored SUVs.
Cell phone video and pictures taken by the driver show the vehicles involved and the back of the truck where meat was left behind.
Northeast Detectives say they are working with police patrols to monitor known truck parking locations, since late-night refrigerated trucks are common targets.
"They're long-haul truck drivers, this load came from Iowa, they come in the early morning hours and they park up and have a scheduled delivery time... the trucks are refrigerated so they're easy to identify from another truck that might be carrying televisions or metals or whatever," said Captain Jack Ryan, Northeast Detectives.
The backstory:
On Tuesday, a driver sleeping on the 3400 block of Island Avenue also woke up to movement in his trailer and saw six masked men stealing 50 boxes of snow crab, roughly 3,000 pounds worth, police say.
One man chased the driver down the road before the suspects escaped in three vehicles. Police say this week's theft was the second in seven days and the third this month; three weeks ago, three men stole four pallets of ground beef from a tractor trailer in the Northeast.
In a similar fashion, the truck driver was asleep when police say at least six men stole 50 boxes of frozen seafood from the trailer.
"There’s only so many places you can park a tractor trailer overnight and I’m sure they’re surveying various areas near food distribution centers," said Captain Ryan. He added that while drivers have been assaulted in past cargo thefts, those incidents occurred two or three years ago and there have been no injuries in recent cases.
What's next:
Detectives say they have not yet made a definitive connection between the thefts but believe it is "likely the same crew based on the M.O."
They are working with patrol officers to keep watch over areas where refrigerated truck drivers are known to park.
What we don't know:
Police have not confirmed if the frozen food cargo thefts are connected or if suspects have been identified.
The Source: Information provided by the Philadelphia Police Department and police sources.