A string of copper wire thefts near Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street has left Austin businesses facing costly repairs and knocked out power for at least 10 stores at once, as police search for a black pickup truck they believe is connected to the crimes. Detectives with the Austin Police Department's Commercial Burglary Unit say suspects have broken into electrical boxes and transformers across the area in recent weeks, cutting and hauling away copper wiring and leaving behind expensive damage.
Police Hunt a Black Dodge Ram Linked to the Thefts
According to CBS Austin, multiple thefts have occurred in recent weeks in the Mueller and 51st Street area, with suspects breaking into electrical boxes and transformers to cut and steal copper wiring. Investigators are now seeking information about a black Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck potentially tied to the crimes, but poor-quality surveillance footage has so far prevented detectives from identifying the suspects or even obtaining a readable license plate, the station reports. Austin police say the investigation near Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street remains open and active, with the APD Commercial Burglary Unit continuing to pursue leads, according to original reporting by KVUE. When asked, the department told KVUE it has not announced any arrests in this particular investigation.
One of the most disruptive incidents hit the Mueller Regional Retail Center, where at least 10 businesses lost power after someone vandalized electrical equipment and stole copper service conductors, per a report from Electrical Excel. Power was not restored until Saturday afternoon, the outlet noted, leaving shops dark for an unusually long stretch for what should be a routine utility fix.
A Local Church Says It's Been Targeted for Years
The thefts have also struck Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church, which has experienced multiple copper thefts over the years, according to KVUE. Pastor Chorbishop Don Sawyer, the church's pastor, told the outlet that copper theft hits the parish hard, leaving it with costly repairs and additional security expenses. Sawyer described one incident in which a man was dismantling a compressor unit while the church administrator was alone on the property, KVUE reported. In response, the church has installed fencing around its equipment to try to prevent future thefts.
KVUE spoke with Matt Mitchell, Austin Energy's public information officer, who explained that responsibility for replacing stolen copper depends on whether the theft occurs on the customer side of the meter or on public infrastructure. Commercial property owners are on the hook for copper stolen from their side of the meter, while Austin Energy replaces and pays for copper taken from the public infrastructure it manages — a distinction the utility also lays out for residential customers, noting it maintains meters while customers are responsible for meter bases, service panels and associated wiring. Mitchell told KVUE that repairs can take days or longer because of supply chain challenges and high demand for copper, and that thieves are drawn to the crime because the metal is valuable and profitable to resell.
Damaged Lines Can Stay Dangerously Live
The danger extends beyond lost business. Damaged electrical equipment and exposed wiring pose serious safety risks to utility crews and the public, Mitchell told KVUE, and copper-theft repairs overall can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the extent of the damage. In a separate incident on Ridgepoint Drive, nearly a dozen streetlights were vandalized and damaged, according to a statement from Austin Energy, which warned that some stolen or damaged lines are left still energized, creating great danger to its staff and the public. Austin police arrested one suspect at that scene after a community member reported the vandalism, the utility said, though that arrest is tied to the Ridgepoint Drive case rather than the ongoing Mueller-area investigation. Austin Energy says it is working with Austin police to address the thefts and urges anyone who suspects theft to call 911 immediately rather than approach damaged electrical equipment.
A Costly, Growing Problem Statewide
Austin's recent spike is part of a broader pattern. Austin Energy reported more than 20 major copper thefts across the city in just the first six months of 2023, according to FOX 7 Austin, which noted the crimes drain equipment and staff resources and can delay the energizing of new buildings. The station reported that thefts have hit movie theaters, gyms, grocery stores and vacant commercial buildings across the city, and that one Southeast Austin business owner and his family paid more than $50,000 out of pocket for repairs after copper was stolen from their building.
Under Texas law, copper theft is classified as a state jail felony, and the charge is elevated to a third-degree felony when critical infrastructure is involved, per KVUE's reporting. The financial toll stretches well beyond Austin: AT&T told NBC 5 the company has spent more than $1 million repairing copper-theft damage in the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, with nationwide repair costs exceeding $30 million. In Milwaukee, officials have logged nearly 250 streetlight copper-wire thefts costing the city more than $830,000 over roughly two years, according to a report from Fox6 — including one case where a city electrician found 1,000 feet of wire worth $4,150 had been stripped out, knocking out electrical service for days.
Anyone with information about the thefts near Mueller Boulevard and 51st Street is asked to contact the Austin Police Department's Commercial Burglary Unit at [email protected], according to KVUE.
