Thief steals semi batteries; stalls fleet of trucks

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Harbor Bridge Intermodal has a fleet of semi trucks that are used to transport large containers to various locations around the Midwest. On Monday morning, none of the trucks would start. A worker soon discovered that someone swiped the batteries from the trucks. A total of 22 batteries were taken, costing the company about $1600. This happened in the 1200 block of West Troy Avenue near Harding Street.

In the aftermath, workers checked surveillance cameras posted outside the office. Within a few seconds of watching the video, the problem was quickly diagnosed. A man is seen on video pulling into the lot and gets out of a sedan, that appears to be a Cadillac. The man then drives up to each truck pulling out the batteries. He appears to move casually and leisurely, as he removes each battery. Once done, he places all 22 batteries into his vehicle and drives off.

“He is very comfortable, he takes his time to unhook everything, he cuts the wires,” said Brandi Meives, an employee at Harbor Bridge Intermodal. The owner of the trucking company adds that the stolen batteries are a huge blow to his small business. In attempts to prevent it from happening again, he’s been spending the night at his business.

It is unclear if police have any leads in this investigation; however, there are several trucking companies along Troy Avenue that have reported their fleet of vehicles have been targeted for batteries.

There is speculation that the suspect sold the batteries which cost about $100 each to a scrap yard for about $20-25. In addition to the loss in money, the stolen batteries have increased the workload for the truck drivers who now have to make up for time lost on the road.

“That puts everything behind schedule,” said Meives.

If you have any information on the suspect, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS, or (317) 262-8477.