Philadelphia thieves take off with load of bourbon as trucker sleeps

Some Philadelphia thieves took off with a load of bourbon as the truck driver slept while parked on the side of a road on Thursday morning. 

The theft occurred on March 14th at around 2:30 a.m. on Caroline Road in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

The truck driver was parked on Caroline Road sleeping in his truck when he “was awakened by the truck shaking. He saw two vehicles. A black vehicle and a white vehicle make off in the back of his trailer. His trailer was opened. There was alcohol there,” said Captain Jack Ryan with the Philadelphia Police Department. 

According to 6 ABC, police arrived just as one of the cars was leaving. The Philadelphia thieves made a break for it and struck a police cruiser in the process. No officers were hurt in the incident, but the thieves got away. 

Officers found one of the involved vehicles and were able to recover some of the load of bourbon, along with some seafood from another apparent heist. 

This theft marks the most recent in a string of cargo thefts in Philadelphia. Cargo thefts have increased from 100 in 2019 to 257 in 2023. Police are still investigating the recent heist.