Thieves strike again, stealing pallets of beef in Philadelphia's latest cargo heist

PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia police are looking for the suspects involved in the theft of thousands of dollars worth of beef from the back of a truck.

The theft happened around 4 a.m. Thursday when thieves cut through a padlock on the parked tractor-trailer while the driver was sleeping inside, investigators said.

The driver said the truck began shaking during the theft.

"I check out the window, and I saw a bunch of guys moving and all, so my first instinct was to stop the truck and move out. And I noticed my door was open, and that's when I knew, well, there's nothing I could do," the driver said.

The suspects got away with five pallets of beef worth about $10,000.

The driver captured cellphone video of the suspect vehicles, described as a dark gray Nissan sedan and two SUVs.

This comes after 3,000 lbs. of crab legs were stolen from a semi in Southwest Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, suspects stole more than $40,000 worth of beef from a truck in Northeast Philadelphia. It followed a late September beef theft in South Philadelphia.

Police are urging trucking companies to take additional precautions, including using hardened steel locks to slow down thieves and parking in well-lit, more public areas.

The investigation is ongoing.