A savvy thief pulled off the heist of the century, making off with 40,000 pounds of stolen beer. By posing as the transport employee assigned to pick up the massive haul, the thieves stole a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer truck from the company's Montclair distribution center.
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Paul Myers, the senior director of integrated marketing operations for Pabst, said that the truck was filled with 1,400 cases of PBR and about 200 cases of Old Milwaukee Non Alcoholic, totaling about 40,000 pounds of booze. The truck was destined for San Diego.
"What we discovered was it was just a bad actor essentially who came in and pretended to be the person who was supposed to pick up the beer. It wasn't the person who was supposed to pick up the beer. Then they drove off with it," Myers said.
Thief Steals $25,000 Worth of Beer
The stolen shipment, consisting of over 50,000 beer cans, was worth an estimated $25,000.
Pabst Blue Ribbon's social media page tried to make light of the massive theft.
"To the thief: We don't fault you for wanting to brag to your friends about how much PBR you have; we just wish you obtained it the honorable way," Pabst Blue Ribbon wrote on Instagram.
The company also issued an ultimatum to the booze burglar. Plus, they promised a reward for anyone who can help retrieve the stolen cargo.
"Pabst is officially starting the clock now. You have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truck, no questions asked. Leading up to that time, we will be offering a reward to anyone who can help us solve this mystery."
The post concludes with: "P.s. this is real and we are deadly serious."
Pabst did not specify what the reward for valuable information is.
In a statement to Eyewitness News, a Pabst spokesperson said the company is "working with the local authorities to try and recover the stolen truck. And are grateful for all their hard work."
"We hope that whoever managed to steal our truck also knows the importance of keeping beer cold."
Hopefully the thief has a pretty big fridge.
