Two early-morning visitors to an industrial stretch of Williamsburg were not there for a snack, police say. Surveillance stills released Tuesday show a pair who smashed a lock on an unoccupied food truck at 599 Johnson Avenue on May 2, then left with a generator and a cooler before sunrise. The NYPD put out the images on May 12 as investigators work to track down the suspects and recover the stolen gear.
What police say
According to NYPD Crime Stoppers, the two suspects first broke a lock on an unoccupied Mi Amor Halal Grill truck at about 7:05 a.m., taking off with a generator valued at roughly $2,500. About ten minutes later, around 7:15 a.m., the pair allegedly entered an unoccupied S&M Food Industry truck and grabbed a cooler filled with soda. Police say they loaded everything into a white Dodge pickup and drove off.
The surveillance images show the suspects dressed in dark clothing with their faces covered. Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the individuals or the truck to speak up.
Where this happened
Listings identify 599 Johnson Avenue in Brooklyn, as noted on StreetEasy, as an industrial block that now mixes vendors and event spaces. The location falls within the NYPD's 90th Precinct, which is based at 211 Union Avenue, covers much of Williamsburg and is handling the case.
How to tip
Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers by calling the hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or by submitting an internet tip, the city notes. According to the NYPD Crime Stoppers page, tips that lead to an arrest and indictment may qualify the tipster for a cash reward of up to $3,500.
Tips can be submitted anonymously and are screened through the Crime Stoppers program to help protect the confidentiality of those who come forward.
Broader context
Crime Stoppers alerts like this have become a staple across the city as detectives look for patterns in what might seem like low-value thefts. Recent coverage of comparable burglary posts in other precincts shows the department frequently sharing surveillance stills to crowdsource leads from neighborhood residents.
Theft of generators and other equipment from unoccupied food trucks has proved to be a chronic headache for small operators, with earlier reporting on food-truck thefts by outlets such as Eater documenting how a single stolen generator can sideline a business and wipe out a weekend's earnings.
