PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — Thieves stole $10,000 worth of beef from a tractor-trailer in the Wissinoming section of Northeast Philadelphia early Thursday, October 29, in the fourth food cargo theft in the city in a month. Surveillance video captured the whole thing, and police say the thefts add up to nearly $55,000 in stolen food.
The theft happened around 4 a.m. in the 5200 block of Devereaux Street. The driver arrived around 9 p.m. Wednesday and parked near Milnor Street. “And decided to take a few hours nap to make my delivery at 6,” said the driver, who did not want to be identified.
What the Video Shows
Surveillance video obtained by Action News shows the first vehicle arriving around 3:35 a.m. The group got out and appeared to use a bolt cutter. Investigators said the suspects cut the padlock. They waited, and more than half a dozen cars arrived minutes later. The theft lasted nearly 25 minutes, with suspects carrying boxes of meat over their heads and on their shoulders and loading them into vehicles.
“My alarm went off at 4. I got up, and right as soon as I got up, I noticed the truck was moving, so I wasn’t sure what was going on,” the driver said. He stayed in the truck, tried to move forward, and called 911 several minutes later.
The suspects dropped boxes and jumped into the remaining vehicles before an officer arrived. One SUV nearly crashed into another and then drove over a box of meat as the group got away. Police released photos of three of the vehicles.
A String of Thefts
It is the fourth cargo theft in Philadelphia within a month. On Tuesday, thieves took 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab from a truck in Southwest Philadelphia. Earlier this month, suspects stole more than $40,000 worth of beef from a truck in Northeast Philadelphia, after a late September beef theft in South Philadelphia.
“It’s likely the same crew. We haven’t made the connection yet,” said Capt. John Ryan, commanding officer of Northeast Detectives. Asked whether the meat is sold on the secondary market, he said, “I’m sure it’s not for personal consumption with the sheer volume of the five pallets. It’s an enormous amount of meat.”
Investigators are urging trucking companies and private contractors to use hardened steel locks to at least slow thieves down. Police are also increasing patrols in areas where truckers usually park and advise drivers to choose well-lit areas.
Interviews courtesy of local media.
📸 Image(s) used under fair use for news reporting.
