While a female Amazon trucker driver was being transported to a nearby hospital following a horrific crash, residents descended on the wreckage to steal packages. The incident demonstrates truck cargo remains a target for organized criminals and opportunists.
According to reports, hundreds of Amazon packages spilled out on the 210 Freeway in Monrovia, California, and down an embankment, after the semi-truck slammed into a concrete sidewall. As residents and stopping motorists tried to pilfer off the packages, members of the Monrovia Police Department were forced to guard them. The trucker was reportedly in critical condition.
Incidents of looting Amazon delivery vans have also surfaced in recent years. Reports of overall cargo theft spiked through the first 20 weeks of 2023, according to CargoNet. There were upwards of 900 reports of theft, fraud, and other crimes. When compared to the same period in 2022, the number of cargo thefts spiked by a stunning 41 percent. Leading the metrics was the rising occurrence of fraud and fictitious pickups. The combined categories showed an increase of 675 percent.
Aside from misdirection schemes, Amazon trucks and others hauling household merchandise have been attractive. The top items thieves pursue include electronic devices. But food and beverages are emerging as high-profile targets since inflation pushed up the price of groceries.
“During the financial downturn in 2008, we saw a theft shift towards food and beverage where it stayed in that spot until the end of 2019,” Scott Cornell, transportation lead and crime and theft specialist at Travelers Insurance, reportedly said. “In 2020, we saw the target move to household goods, because we were all at home. Now, we’re starting to see food and beverage commodities pull up front.”
A CargoNet report indicates food and beverage theft rose by nearly 50 percent over 12 months ending in February. The estimated value of food and beverage loads ran north of $210,000 on average. Annual cargo theft losses run between $15 and $30 billion, with the highest number of incidents occurring in California. However, recent data points to high rates of thievery in other major cities.
“We’re seeing a pretty unusual spread into the interior of the United States like Memphis and Chicago because they’re basically inland ports with heavy rail and a heavy density in population,” Cornell reportedly said. “We are also seeing an increase in strategic theft spreading out across Texas, Alabama, and Missouri.”
Truckers are cautioned to remain alert and take safety precautions, particularly when parking overnight.
Sources:
Leave a Comment