A yellow 2005 Caterpillar excavator has disappeared from the 5500 block of Bullard Avenue not once, but twice, and New Orleans police are now asking the public for help tracking down the heavy machinery and whoever is responsible for taking it.
According to the New Orleans Police Department, the excavator — a Model 330 CL bearing serial number CAT0330CCDKY0368 — was first reported missing after the victim last saw it at the location on Aug. 10 around 5 p.m. Weeks later, the equipment turned up again at the same spot on Sept. 21 sometime between 9 a.m. and noon, only for it to be hauled off a second time by someone driving a white semi-truck with an attached trailer, per the report.
Beyond the description of that semi-truck and trailer, investigators have not released further details about who took the excavator or where it might be now. NOPD has asked anyone with information about the equipment's whereabouts, or the identity of the person responsible, to contact Auto Theft Unit Detectives Ryan St. Martin or Sebastian Trigo at 504-658-5543.
Anonymous Tips Can Go to Crimestoppers
For residents who'd rather not give their name, tips can also be submitted anonymously online at Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans, the station's report notes. The excavator theft adds to a growing list of construction equipment disappearing from job sites, with thieves apparently willing to show up more than once for the same piece of machinery.
A similar scheme played out on Jan. 12, 2025, in Shreveport, where a Caterpillar skid steer was stolen from a construction site on West 70th Street. Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed the skid steer being taken between 8 and 8:30 p.m. on a Sunday, according to KTAL, with video capturing a large pickup truck and flatbed trailer hauling it away from the job site.
Equipment Theft Can Carry Steep Losses
KTAL reported that Caterpillar skid steers alone can range in price from $20,000 used to more than $80,000 new, underscoring how costly these thefts can be for contractors and property owners. In the Shreveport case, police asked anyone with information to contact that department's Property Crimes Division at 318-673-7300.
Back in New Orleans, no arrests or recoveries have been announced in connection with the Bullard Avenue case. Anyone with information is urged to reach out to NOPD's Auto Theft Unit or submit an anonymous tip through Crimestoppers as the search for the missing excavator continues.
