A pallet of tuna was stolen out of the refrigerated trailer of a truck parked at the Philadelphia Food Distribution Center early Thursday morning, authorities said.
Philadelphia police received a call about a theft in progress at 3400 S. Lawrence St., a couple blocks east of Citizen's Bank Park, in South Philly around 3 a.m. Thieves swiped the fish while the truck driver slept, they said, waiting to unload his cargo. Security for Samuels Seafood Co., which was receiving the delivery, roused him to inform him of the crime in progress.
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Between 350-400 pounds of tuna were stolen, John Mackara, director of security for Samuels Seafood said. The fish is worth about $10,000, 6ABC reported.
Detectives are investigating the theft, but offered no further updates at this time.
According to Mackara, a Samuels Seafood employee driving into work spotted the thieves and alerted the overnight security supervisors. The thieves fled when he approached the truck. Mackara's team noted four SUVs — two white, one black and one red.
He suspects the crime is connected to other recent food thefts: Earlier this week, Samuels Seafood reported $2,400 in salmon was stolen from a truck, and in a July heist in Southwest Philadelphia, thieves stole $15,000 of beef.
Police investigating the stolen beef also cited a suspicious white SUV and Dodge Durango, telling NBC10 that it could be connected to an earlier snow crab theft at a Walmart in Northeast Philly.
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