Approximately 2m dimes, or the equivalent of $200,000, were taken from a tractor trailer in a parking lot of the Philadelphia Mills shopping mall complex in north-east Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
According to police, the truck driver had picked up $750,000 worth of dimes from the US Mint in Philadelphia and then parked the truck in the mall parking lot on Wednesday evening. The driver had planned on transporting the dimes, which were organized into 15 pallets that contained $50,000 each, to Florida, CBS reports.
However, someone broke into the truck overnight using a bolt cutter and stole approximately $200,000 worth of dimes. Police said that the driver had gone home to rest and that it remains unclear whether he will face charges.
“Common practice with drivers to pick up loads. He was going to Florida,” Philadelphia police captain John Ryan said, NBC Philadelphia reports. “They park the truck overnight to get on the road in the morning,” he said.
“There’s been a lot of cargo thefts here and there in north-east Philly and south Philadelphia over the ensuing months where we’ve had lamb, chicken, TVs, refrigerators, etc. taken, alcohol,” he added.
According to authorities, the cleanup took hours as dimes were found scattered all throughout the parking lot.
Police said that they are searching for “10 or more males” in black clothing and gray hoodies, as well as a white Chrysler 300 with tinted windows and a dark colored pickup truck.
In a statement to NBC Philadelphia, the acting chief of public affairs at the United States Mint, John Chu, said: “The carrier responsible for the shipment is a commercial contractor and is personally insured against incidents of loss or theft.”
“The Mint has implemented countermeasures to aid in the prevention of similar types of thefts in the future. The Philadelphia Police Department is currently conducting an investigation into the theft,” he added.
