An off-duty San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy spotted a white box truck matching investigators' description along Twentynine Palms Highway and relayed its location and direction of travel, helping lead authorities to the recovery of nearly $50,000 in stolen freight from a train heist near Amboy. Deputies stopped the truck, and a foot pursuit followed, ending with two suspects booked into Morongo Basin Jail. The cargo included Dewalt construction equipment and Ariat boots pulled from a train that was raided by an estimated 15 to 20 vehicles beginning on September 4.
Off-Duty Deputy's Tip Cracks the Case
According to KESQ, the off-duty deputy notified on-duty personnel after spotting the box truck and relayed its location and direction of travel. Deputies stopped the vehicle near Cholla Avenue, where two occupants fled on foot while a third stayed with the truck. A sheriff's helicopter located one of the fleeing suspects hiding in a nearby bush, and the third occupant was detained with assistance from the California Highway Patrol.
Two suspects were arrested on suspicion of commercial burglary and grand theft of cargo valued at more than $950, per the same account. California Penal Code Section 487h addresses grand theft of cargo taken from a trailer, railcar, or shipping container exceeding $950 in value, according to California Legislative Information. The investigation remains ongoing.
A Familiar Target in the Mojave
Amboy's remote stretch of BNSF Railway track has become a recurring flashpoint for organized cargo theft crews working the Mojave Desert. In November 2024, thieves broke into a stopped BNSF container near Amboy and made off with 1,278 pairs of Nike Air Jordan sneakers worth $311,832, a heist the Los Angeles Times reported was ultimately traced through hidden GPS tags to a rental truck in Anaheim.
Just months later, in January 2025, an Amboy-area train theft involved about $408,000 worth of Nike products. This September's raid also unfolded around Labor Day, and cargo theft can cluster on the days surrounding a holiday weekend rather than on the holiday itself.
Other California Freight-Theft Cases
The Amboy recovery comes amid other reported freight-theft cases in California. Verisk CargoNet statistics have placed California among the nation's top three states for supply-chain crime. The California Highway Patrol's Cargo Theft Interdiction Program, established in 1993, has a statewide investigative role in tracking and recovering stolen intermodal freight.
San Bernardino County's own Rural Crimes Task Force has repeatedly worked freight-train burglaries across the desert region, a trend Hoodline previously detailed in its coverage of a $57K Helendale shoe heist just days earlier. In August 2026, San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies assisted BNSF Railway police in a Devore train burglary that resulted in one arrest, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department.
Fencing Networks Remain an Open Question
Even with recoveries mounting, the Amboy case involved an estimated 15-to-20-vehicle convoy, while a separate March 2026 case involved commercial fencing operations. That month, a multi-county sweep across San Bernardino, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties seized $7 million in stolen cargo and $1 million in cash while dismantling organized fencing operations, a case Hoodline covered in depth after nine arrests followed a $7M seizure.
Officials continue to stress the value of public tips in breaking these cases, much as the off-duty deputy's roadside spotting did near Morongo Basin. Anyone with information about the September 4 heist is asked to contact Morongo Basin Station at (760) 366-4175. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through We-Tip or by texting a report to (844) 909-3006.
