According to police, both trucks were stolen on the east and north sides of the city within 24 hours.
ST PAUL, Minn. – Police are on high alert in two separate incidents involving two Amazon delivery vans in St. Paul. Both trucks were stolen over the weekend, along with all the packages they contained.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of someone steal an actual truck,” said Steve Linders, a spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department.
According to police, both trucks were stolen on the east and north sides of the city within 24 hours. The first incident occurred near the 1100 block of Bush Avenue and the other at the intersection of Front and Albemarle Streets.
“The first driver was just making a delivery and felt like maybe a dark SUV was following him and it turned out he was right,” said Linders.
Police say the SUV followed the driver two blocks to a delivery stop before moving.
“He saw someone get out of the SUV, run to their van, jump in, and then drive away at high speed,” said Linders.
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A short time later, police said someone spotted an Amazon truck being unpacked while someone was loading a dark SUV near York Avenue and copying its license plate.
“We followed the vehicle to its owner and certainly found some people there. We found the packages from the Amazon van,” said Linders.
About 24 hours later, another Amazon truck was hit, but this time the suspect was armed with a discouraging message for the driver.
“You still have your job, you want to keep your life going,” Linders said when describing what the victim said to the police.
“We take these matters seriously and are helping law enforcement investigate the incident.” said Maria Boschetti, a spokeswoman for Amazon, in a statement to KARE 11.
Although it is unclear whether either of these two incidents is related, police urge people to remain vigilant at a time of the year when unoccupied vehicles are becoming a prime target for thieves.
“So far this year car thefts in St. Paul have risen by 15%,” said Linders.
The police were able to arrest one of the scenes on the basis of an arrest warrant, but no further arrests were made. Both incidents are still being investigated.
If you have any information that could lead to an arrest, please call the St. Paul Police Department.
