Thieves take $10,000 in beef from parked truck in Northeast Philadelphia as driver sleeps

Thieves cut the lock on a parked tractor-trailer in Northeast Philadelphia early Thursday and removed five pallets of beef worth roughly $10,000 while the driver slept in the cab, police said, according to several local outlets.

The theft took place on the 5200 block of Devereaux Avenue in the Wissinoming neighborhood. CBS Philadelphia put the time at about 4:15 a.m., while The Philadelphia Inquirer and 6abc said it happened around 4 a.m. The Inquirer reported that the driver called in the theft at 4:12 a.m.

The driver, who CBS Philadelphia said had come from Iowa, woke when the truck began to shake as the cargo was being unloaded. FOX 29 reported that he saw at least three people taking goods from the trailer. He used his phone to record video of the vehicles involved, which police described as a dark gray Nissan sedan and two dark-colored SUVs.

The Inquirer reported that no arrests had been made and that no description of the people involved was available. Police have released photos of the vehicles, and 6abc reported that investigators also obtained footage from city cameras that they hope to make public. The Inquirer said tips can be given to Northeast Detectives at 215-686-3153 or by calling 911.

The theft was the second cargo heist in the city this week. On Tuesday, around 4 a.m., more than 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab was taken from a trailer on the 3600 block of Island Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia while that driver also slept, according to 6abc and other outlets. FOX 29 reported that at least six men took 50 boxes of seafood in that case.

Outlets differed somewhat on how police view the connection. CBS Philadelphia reported that police believe the same group is likely behind the meat thefts, while FOX 29 said police are looking into whether Thursday's theft is linked to the crab heist.

Earlier this month, beef was also stolen from a trailer in Northeast Philadelphia. The Inquirer and 6abc valued that load at about $40,000, while CBS Philadelphia described it as roughly five pallets taken by masked men who left in a Ford F-150 and a Jeep. The Inquirer and 6abc also noted a September theft of beef in South Philadelphia.

Police told CBS Philadelphia that drivers sleeping in their trucks while waiting for morning delivery appointments are frequent targets. According to 6abc, police are advising trucking companies to use hardened steel locks and to park in brighter, more public locations.

Compiled by True News from reporting by CBS Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer, FOX 29 Philadelphia and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/582