Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Six Men Steal 3,000 Pounds of Snow Crab From a Truck on Island Avenue

Six men stole about 3,000 pounds of frozen snow crab from a tractor-trailer in Southwest Philadelphia early on Tuesday while the driver slept in the cab, police said. The driver woke to movement in the trailer, saw the men carrying boxes away, and was chased down the street when he stepped out to confront them.

Police said the theft happened in the 3400 block of Island Avenue at about 4:57 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27. The driver told officers he had fallen asleep in the truck and woke to find six men removing boxes of frozen snow crab from the back of the trailer.

What the men took

Police said the group took two pallets of frozen snow crab. Each pallet held 50 boxes, and each box weighed about 30 pounds, which puts the total taken at about 3,000 pounds. The rest of the cargo in the trailer was left behind.

When the driver got out of the cab and confronted the men, police said one of the suspects chased him down the road. The driver was not reported injured. The six men then left in several vehicles, including a gray Ford F-150 pickup truck and a gray Dodge Caravan, police said.

Police described one of the men as about 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing all black clothing. A second man was described as about 5 feet 6 inches tall, weighing about 180 pounds, and also dressed in dark clothes. No arrests were reported in the first police account, and the investigation is being handled by Southwest Detectives.

The latest in a run of food cargo thefts

The Island Avenue theft is the latest in a series of food cargo thefts in Philadelphia over the past several years, and snow crab has been a repeat target. In April 2024, thieves beat a truck driver before stealing about $30,000 worth of snow crab, and the same month about $12,000 worth of pork was taken from a truck in North Philadelphia. In July 2024, about $42,000 worth of frozen crab was stolen.

The pattern continued after that. In July 2025, thieves stole about $20,000 worth of beef. About a year ago, five pallets of ground beef valued at about $40,000 were taken, and this past September thieves took half a pallet of Black Angus beef ribs from a parked truck.

Drivers who park and sleep in their cabs while waiting to deliver are a common target in these cases, because the cargo sits in the trailer for hours with one person nearby. Police said the Island Avenue investigation continues, and anyone with information is asked to contact the Philadelphia Police Department.