Dimes worth $200,000 were stolen in the parking lot of a Philadelphia Walmart early Thursday.
The tractor tailor had $750,000 in dimes picked up from the U.S. Mint in the city Wednesday, and the driver was to transport them to Florida Thursday.
At some point overnight, bolt cutters were used to break into the unattended vehicle for the theft. The culprit or culprits tried to load the dimes into other containers, and loads of dimes fell across the parking lot.
While early law enforcement estimates had $100,000 in dimes being pilfered, that number was bumped up to $200,000 by Friday, according to WPVI-TV, a Philadelphia ABC affiliate. The 2 million stolen coins weigh around 10,000 pounds.
Law enforcement does not believe the driver of the dime-carrying tractor trailer was specifically targeted; other cargo holds have been robbed recently in the city.
“There’s been a lot of cargo thefts here and there in Northeast Philly and South Philadelphia over the ensuing months where we’ve had lamb, chicken, TVs, refrigerators, etc. taken, alcohol,” Capt. John Ryan with the Philadelphia Police Department told KYW-TV, a Philadelphia CBS affiliate.
It has not been determined whether the driver will face charges for leaving the dimes unattended.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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