3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab stolen from tractor trailer in Philadelphia
3,000 pounds of snow crab stolen from Philly truck
Police are searching for suspects who stole 3,000 pounds of snow crab from a cargo truck on Island Avenue in Philadelphia early Tuesday morning.
PHILADELPHIA - Police are searching for multiple people who they say stole approximately 3,000 pounds of snow crab from a cargo truck overnight.
What we know:
Investigators say the driver was asleep inside his truck on the 3400 block of Island Avenue when he heard movement outside sometime before 5 a.m.
When the driver exited the truck, he witnessed six men removing boxes of frozen snow crab from the back of his truck. The driver was chased down the street by one of the suspects, according to police.
The suspects managed to steal two pallets of frozen snow crab, each containing 50 boxes weighing 30 pounds each, totaling about 3,000 pounds of seafood.
Police say the suspects fled in several vehicles, including a gray Ford F-150 and a gray Dodge Caravan.
Dig deeper:
Southwest Detectives say they had a similar case back on March 31st, on the 6100 block of Island Avenue, where a crew stole 500 pounds of snow crabs and left in two vehicles. Earlier this month, Northeast Detectives say three people stole several pallets of ground beef from a tractor trailer, overnight, on Southampton Road.
"They’re all concerning, obviously, but right now it's really too early to tell if it's connected to anything. We are in constant communication with the captain of Northeast Detectives, our Major Crimes, and as well as our federal partners," said Captain Joseph Busa, Commanding Officer of Southwest Detectives.
Willie, who drives for and owns CN Willie Transport LLC, says he has had several instances of people breaking into his truck over the past four years when parked in Philadelphia. When leaving his truck of an extended period of time, he now pulls his tractor directly to the back of his trailer to prevent access.
He also parked on the 6400 block of Island Avenue overnight but said he did not have any issues with his truck.
"Right now I’m worried because I’ve never heard such news since I’ve been parking here, but I always take precaution," he said.
Police say they were able to recover evidence from the scene but would not elaborate on what that was. Investigators are also working to pull surveillance video.
"It's just unfortunate that, you know, he gets his rest. He's right by where he needs to be, and these individuals break into it. And thankfully, I mean, the bigger thing is the snow crabs can be replaced. Thankfully, this driver is safe, that's the most important thing," said Captain Busa.
What you can do:
Police described one suspect as a 5'8" Hispanic man wearing all-black clothing. A second suspect was described as a 5'6", 180-pound Black man wearing dark clothes.
Anyone with information on the heist is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.
The Source: Information provided by the Philadelphia Police Department.