MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Car-jackings are at a high across the city of Memphis with more than 6,400 in the first five months alone. Now, thieves are going after popular food trucks.
The grateful owners of Memphis Jamaican Kitchen food truck got their food truck back in faster than expected, but they say having to be victims of a repetitive crime is challenging.
“They ripped my steering out and they used a screwdriver so it’s somebody with experience, a thief – an experienced criminal,” Co-owner Ryan Meeks said.
The married owners said they quickly reported the stolen truck to MPD.
“I was really shocked when I got the phone call that the food truck was missing,” Co-owner Ebony Meeks said. “It is very rare for a food truck to be stolen completely. I immediately got on the phone with the police to call them to try to see if we could get some information, I was hoping that perhaps it had been towed but it turned out after the police came that it was in fact stolen.”
While nothing was stolen, they are still fixing damage to the exterior after thieves ripped off the wrap around the truck.
“Everything was flipped over,” Ryan said. “I don’t know what they were looking for but they were looking to either sell it or something but it was pretty bad. It was pretty devastating to know that your property would look as a thief would leave it. Somebody would take your truck and just rip everything out of it. My fridge was loose. My stove was loose. I got to take it to get fixed.”
Now after finding the vehicle, it is now back up and running, but stolen vehicles is a common problem here in Memphis and the focus on MPD’s Safe Summer Initiative. However, officers can't stop every crime.
So, MPD instructs drivers to always lock your car, never leave your vehicle running, park in a gated garage if possible and invest in a motion activated camera.
The truck owners say they're grateful their supporters were able to locate the truck but disheartened this had to happen to them. As MPD works to decrease crime this summer, be sure to report any break-ins or car-jackings to the department.