After committing a heist in New Jersey, a robber made quite the discovery.
The Middlesex Police Department reports that around 4 a.m. on September 5, a truck driver claimed that his consignment of approximately 500,000 frozen prawns, valued at approximately $305,000, had been stolen. According to reports, the shipment was intended for a Monroe Township Costco.
The driver reported to police that he had booked a spot on Smalley Avenue for parking, but the $50,000 tractor-trailer and the 25,000-pound consignment were nowhere to be seen when he tried to deliver them.
The truck driver was interviewed by Philadelphia’s NBC affiliate WCAU; he chose not to provide his name.
“I didn’t see my truck when I came into the yard,” he remarked. “I’m not sure what went wrong. “Where’s my truck, please?”
Four additional shipping containers at the facility had been broken into, but nothing was taken, according to detectives.
Authorities eventually located the prawn shipment in Perth Amboy, approximately 16 miles away, according to the trade newspaper Seafood Source. It’s unclear if the prawns or another item was the intended objective of the heist. Nothing more was disclosed.
“It’s definitely unusual,” Middlesex police Det. Sgt. Sean Flanagan told WCAU. “We haven’t had something like this in Middlesex Borough before.”
Although some may find the situation amusing, the truck driver, who depends on the shipments for his livelihood, found it to be quite serious.
“It’s only me and my truck, now I don’t have a job for a week,” he said. “I’ve tried to make applications, I need to keep waiting.”
There hasn’t been an arrest by police yet. Middlesex police are asking anyone with information to give them a call at 732-356-1900.
Strangely enough, more crimes involving seafood have occurred this year; in Philadelphia, robberies of tuna on August 8 and crabmeat on September 4 were reported by Seafood Source.
“In the first quarter of 2024, criminal activities impacting the logistics and transportation industry reached new highs, even amid the sustained crime wave that began in late 2022. CargoNet documented a staggering 925 incidents, marking a substantial 46 per cent increase compared to the first quarter of 2023 and a concerning 10 per cent rise from the fourth quarter of 2023,” CargoNet said, according to the outlet.
