Train Heists Nab Nike Sneakers

Michael Crichton’s 1975 novel, “The Great Train Robbery” recounts a real-life 1855 caper about the theft of gold bullion and coins. In the modern-day twist on that story, it’s Nike sneakers, not a precious metal, that are often the target of bad guys, a story by the Los Angeles Times reports.

The newspaper notes that a string of heists targeting BNSF trains in California and Arizona have resulted in the theft of $2 million worth of Nike sneakers. Here’s how such operations typically go down, the newspaper reports:

“The thieves stealthily board eastbound freight trains, hiding out until they reach deserted stretches of the Mojave Desert or high plains. They slash an air brake hose, causing the mile-long line of railcars to screech to an emergency stop. Then, they go shopping.”

That’s the modus operandi described by investigators in a string of at least 10 heists targeting BNSF trains in California and Arizona since last March. All but one resulted in the theft of Nike sneakers, their combined value approaching $2 million, according to investigators.

The Times story notes that some of the thefts may have been triggered by new sneaker releases. In Arizona, thieves allegedly cut an air brake hose on a BNSF freight train on Jan. 13 and unloaded 1985 pairs of unreleased Nikes worth more than $440,000, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix. Many were Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, which won’t be available to the public until March 14 and are expected to retail at $225 per pair, the complaint states.

 Keith Lewis, VP of operations at Verisk’s CargoNet and a deputy sheriff in Arizona, told the Times that the thieves are sometimes tipped off to valuable shipments by confederates working at warehouses or trucking companies. Other times they simply look for containers with high-security locks, which they cut with reciprocating saws or bolt cutters, a Homeland Security Investigations special agent said in affidavits filed in federal court.

Once the desired loot is found, the thieves alert “follow vehicles,” which track the train. The stolen goods are tossed off the train after it comes to a halt — either for a scheduled stop or because an air hose has been cut or control wires inside signal boxes have been sabotaged, said the federal agent, Brynna Cooke.

Overall, there were at least 65,000 railroad cargo thefts last year, a 40% increase from 2023, according to industry estimates compiled by the Assn. of American Railroads. The thefts — which are typically classified as burglaries because they don’t involve directly confronting victims, as with robberies — are believed to have cost the nation’s largest rail companies more than $100 million, according to the trade group.

In Lewis’ experience, the thefts tend to ebb and flow, often tied to the release of a desirable new product. In December, investigators saw a rash of thefts in which smart vacuum cleaners were stolen from train containers, Lewis said.

In the Jan. 13 heist, stolen cases of Nikes hurled from the train were later picked up by trucks, the federal complaint states. County and state law enforcement officers were able to catch up with the vehicles with the help of tracking devices that were inside some of the boxes. Eleven people were arrested and charged with possessing or receiving goods stolen from interstate shipment. Nine were found to be Mexican citizens in the U.S. illegally, prosecutors said.

But if the theft is successful, the stolen merchandise is often transported to California to be sold or offered for sale online via third-party Amazon and EBay resellers, a federal law enforcement agent said in affidavits filed with several of those cases.

Both Amazon and EBay said in statements that they have zero tolerance for criminal activity on their platforms, and that they work with law enforcement to support prosecutions against people who sell stolen goods.

Click here to read the full Times article.