PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Police are searching for at least four people who tried to steal nearly 200 pounds of beef from a cargo truck in South Philadelphia overnight.
It happened just after 2 a.m. Tuesday. According to police, the tractor-trailer was parked in the lot across from Citizens Bank Park, along Seventh Street, when a white pickup truck and black SUV pulled up.
“The operator of that truck was sleeping in the cab. He was awakened by what he described to detectives as shaking in the vehicle,” said Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore.
The four suspects took 184 boxes of beef out of the truck and into the pickup. Vanore said it was valued at about $55,000 worth of meat.
The driver called the authorities, who arrived shortly after and interrupted the theft. All four suspects then jumped in the SUV and took off. Police tried to catch them, but the SUV, which had fake tags, got away.
The white pickup truck and the stolen beef were left behind. Investigators are now working backward to see if they can get a lead.
“Between South Philadelphia and Northeast Philadelphia, it’s gone down a bit,” said Vanore. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen cargo thefts very prevalent in those areas.”
Oftentimes, Vanore said, truck drivers arrive early to their delivery spots and nap while they wait to unload — and thieves are waiting to pounce. Officials advise truckers to park in well-lit areas and keep alarms on their vehicles to help deter thieves.