Grinch Strikes Early with the Heist of a FedEx Truck

Well, this is a curious problem for FedEx's tracking system. How do you track your valuable packages when the truck carrying them has been stolen!?! A FedEx express truck was stopped on Manhattan's west side this morning by gun-wielding carjackers, who made off with the 18-wheeler. The driver was forced into a car and found in Brooklyn at around 1:30 a.m. A FedEx spokesman said the driver, who is not a suspect, was uninjured.

The truck was on its way to a FedEx facility in Newark when it was stopped by the carjackers at 47th St. and 11th Ave. While the spokesperson said the contents and value of the truck are unknown, WCBS is saying that the truck was carrying more than $2 million in cargo, including holiday gifts.

If they don't find that truck and its contents soon, there may be lots of angry people on Christmas. Not to mention all the businesses who shipped express documents yesterday.

Update: The stolen truck was found in Greenpoint in the deserted area of India Street and West Street, but it's unknown whether or not anything is missing at this point.

Photo of FedEx trucks by triborough on flickr

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By tien mao in News on December 21, 2007 9:45 AM

Comments [rss]

Jake Dobkin

@ ptwnbkr-- we're getting a whole new server for the comments, so just hold tight until next week and you shouldn't see any more of those 500 errors. but if you submit a comment, don't resubmit, even if you see an error-- 99% of the time it was received and will post, even though the confirmation message got borked.

also-- i find it a little suspicious that this truck was found like two blocks from tien mao's apartment!

Dave Hogarty

Jacking freight trucks is one of the oldest mob rackets in New York. I was recently told that in the 60's, the owner of a Hudson Yards rail and truck shipping company complained that he spent about 80% of his working day with the FBI to combat the practice. The schemes and heists perpetrated made the Ocean's 11, 12, 13 crew look like pikers.

Outter Burrougher

FedEx can't really assess the value of the cargo because no one actually enters the real value of what they're shipping.

Also, depending on the documents that are lost, there's a large value that's not necessarily monetary. I work at a law firm and any documents leaving Manhattan are sent via FedEx. We checked the tracking on all of our packages this morning to make sure they were where they needed to be.

Snoopy

Start arming all FedEx and UPS drivers to make this city a lot safer. You can always find one of those guys but try to find one of New York's F..... then we are talking a problem. There are not enough Dunkin Donut shops around the city to provide adequate coverage. I hear they don't like Starbucks doughnuts, they're not sweet enough.

smitty

Our FedEx guy said the delivery guy is a really nice guy and that he was dropped off by the Williamsburg Bridge but that's he ok. Our FedEx guy also said he himself was robbed in Midtown.

Scary

ptwnbkr

perhaps the missing cop cocaine was in there somewhere (thanks drewo for the "tip!").

that would really be taking "drop off" to a new level!

[guess what.... ....internal server error!]

ptwnbkr

perhaps the missing cop cocaine was in there somewhere (thanks drewo for the "tip!").

that would really be taking "drop off" to a new level!

JacqueMehoff

what's the ethnicity of the driver and did they do a thorough background check on him and who he associates with? any gambling debts? shady family members?

I'm sure those questions are already being asked. it's $2 million in cargo.

smitty

On NY1 they said that the driver is being questioned.

ed_Extinct

being that this is new york city and i'm sure the truck has a big number on it's roof, it won't be that hard.

Politburo

Most big rigs have GPS on them nowadays.. actually the article says they've found the truck, but no comment on the cargo.

Snoopy

If FedEx didn't know what was inside the truck and valued it at $2,000.000, That means all FedEx trucks are worth two mil. Hmm?

Brooklyn huh? Now what crime organization lives in Brooklyn?