PHILADELPHIA | Beef and Crab Heists: Thieves Hit Two Trucks in Three Days as Drivers Slept

PHILADELPHIA — Thieves have hit two parked tractor-trailers in Philadelphia in three days. They took about 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab from one truck and five pallets of beef from the other, and both drivers were asleep in their cabs during the thefts, police said.

The latest theft happened early Thursday, Oct. 29, on the 5200 block of Devereaux Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia. In a media advisory, the Philadelphia Police Department said the theft was reported at about 4:12 a.m. Unknown offenders cut the rear padlock on a trailer and took five pallets of beef worth about $10,000.

The driver woke up and saw people at the trailer, police said. He recorded cellphone video as the group left in a dark gray Nissan sedan and two dark-colored SUVs. Police said the investigation is ongoing. No arrests were reported, and the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that no description of the suspects was available.

The crab theft came two days earlier, on the morning of Tuesday, Oct. 27, on the 3400 block of Island Avenue in Southwest Philadelphia. Police said the driver had parked there overnight and was sleeping in his truck when he woke to movement outside. He saw six men removing boxes of frozen snow crab from the back of the trailer.

When the driver got out of the truck, one of the men chased him down the street, police said. The group got away with two pallets of 50 boxes each, about 30 pounds per box, for roughly 3,000 pounds of crab. They left in a gray Ford F-150 pickup and a gray Dodge Caravan minivan. Police gave no dollar value for the crab.

Investigators recovered evidence at the Island Avenue scene and were looking for surveillance video. No arrests were reported. Police described one suspect as about 5 feet 8 inches tall and another as about 5 feet 6 inches tall and about 180 pounds. Both were wearing dark clothing.

Earlier this month, on Oct. 6, thieves took ground beef worth about $40,000 from a tractor-trailer on Southampton Road in Northeast Philadelphia while its driver slept. In September, thieves took about half a pallet of Black Angus beef ribs from a truck in South Philadelphia, police said.

Investigators have not said whether the cases are connected. Capt. Joseph Busa of Southwest Detectives said after the crab theft that the recent heists are “all concerning, but right now it’s really too early to tell if it’s connected to anything.”

Police say cargo thieves often target trucks whose drivers park overnight and sleep while they wait for a scheduled morning delivery. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.

Sources

• CBS Philadelphia: $10,000 worth of beef stolen from truck in Northeast Philadelphia while driver was sleeping (Oct. 29, 2026)
• Philadelphia Police Department media advisory: Cargo Theft Investigation (Oct. 29, 2026)
• Philadelphia Inquirer: Thieves steal $10,000 worth of frozen beef in second cargo heist this week (Oct. 29, 2026)
• Philadelphia Inquirer: 1.5 tons of frozen snow crab stolen from tractor-trailer in Southwest Philadelphia (Oct. 27, 2026)
• CBS Philadelphia: Group of 6 men steals 3,000 pounds of frozen crab from tractor-trailer (Oct. 27, 2026)
• FOX 29 Philadelphia: 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab stolen from tractor trailer (Oct. 27, 2026)
• NBC10 Philadelphia: $10k in beef stolen from tractor-trailer in Northeast Philly (Oct. 29, 2026)
• CBS Philadelphia: Beef pallets worth roughly $40K stolen from tractor-trailer in Northeast Philadelphia (Oct. 6, 2026)