Where’s the beef? Police confront string of frozen meat thefts

Where’s the beef? That’s the question Philadelphia police are asking after a group of thieves stole about $15,000 of frozen meat in Southwest Philadelphia early Tuesday morning.

During the theft, which occurred about 4:30 a.m. on 63rd Street near Eastwick Avenue, a group of men stole more than 40 crates of meat out of a refrigerated tractor-trailer that had been left unattended. The thieves left the scene in a Dodge Durango and white SUV.

The men are part of a coordinated group that has attempted 11 similar cargo thefts since June 26 alone, according to Northeast Philadelphia Detective Capt. John Ryan. Nine of the thefts were successful.

“It’s definitely a crime ring,” Ryan said Tuesday afternoon. “We’ve made arrests of members of this group; we believe it’s the same group that’s still working. It’s just widespread.”

Ryan said indictments for the thefts are “in progress,” and said police have identified suspects, but declined to provide more details. He added that police are working with federal investigators to break up the ring.

The group targets parked cargo trucks around the city, where the truck is either unattended or the driver is asleep in the cab, Ryan said. He said that most of the thefts have been of frozen meat, but at least one theft was frozen fish and another was computers.

Ryan told drivers to contact police if they are being robbed, and not approach the thieves. He said that during one robbery, the thieves flashed a gun at a driver who woke up mid-robbery, before throwing him to the ground. That robbery occurred on July 2 on the 3300 block of South Third Street.

Police would not say whether this year’s thefts were connected to similar thefts from previous years.

Authorities ask that anyone with information about the thefts call or text the department’s tip line at 215-686-8477.