MIAMI, Aug. 04, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Everfleet LLC, a national transportation company, announced that it is offering a $5000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the people captured on surveillance video stealing a $400K auto transport tractor-trailer. Investigators believe the suspects might be members of organized crime rings targeting the trucking industry.
The incident took place in the early morning hours on May 29, 2020 at 4850 SW 52nd St in Davie, Fla. where the truck driver parked the vehicle overnight. A video surveillance camera onboard Everfleet’s vehicle captured the crime in progress. First, a white four-door Jeep Wrangler that might have been following the tractor-trailer arrives at the crime scene. Under the cover of darkness, a white semi-trailer truck arrives. Next, two men are seen walking around the vehicle and attempting to break into the cabin. In the enhanced video images, one suspect is smoking a cigarette while wearing an orange hat and an orange long sleeve shirt. The second suspect is wearing a black hat and a blue t-shirt.
The suspects drove away in the stolen auto transport tractor with the trailer attached (photos of a similar tractor-trailer are available). Law enforcement officers later found the abandoned vehicle on I-75 near Naples. The auto transport trailer, which was empty at the time, is still missing. The Davie Police Department is investigating.
Anthony Carmel of Everfleet said organized crime rings target South Florida tractor-trailers coming to and from the ports in order to steal the valuable cargo and equipment. In a recent report, the FBI found that nearly 40 percent of all cargo thefts occurred in parking lots or garages. Nationally, cargo theft accounts for between $15 billion and $30 billion in losses annually and have increased by 25 percent since 2019. Florida currently ranks third in the country for tractor-trailer thefts.
“Regardless of how thieves operate—by pilfering trucks and trailers left in parking lots or by executing violent hijackings, they risk the lives of our drivers and drive up the associated costs that are then passed along to consumers,” said Luis Diaz, attorney for Everfleet. “This is why we are asking for the community’s help to bring the thieves to justice and break up the organized crime rings.”
Anyone who believes they have information about the suspects in the video are asked to contact Luis E. Diaz at (305) 642-0078 or Anthony Carmel at (305) 842-9858. Your identity will remain confidential.
For More Information Contact:
Charles Jones
cjones@cjonespr.com
305-987-7418
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6dcb7af8-9c5a-4580-9361-f05947345763
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b2148c09-b400-4463-bd7c-bb5e5f9c6a89
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