SAN ANTONIO — Food trailer owners are learning that thieves will got the extra mile to steal a mobile food vehicle, even if they need to drag it.
Mohammed Shideed had worked for five years to establish a food truck in San Antonio and finally opened "Lokmas" in February. He picked a well-lit spot with plenty of cameras. Last week, a green truck pulled up an a masked individual drove off with Shideed's business in clear view of those cameras.
Back in February, Julia Valadez's Build A Burger trailer was stolen, despite the multiple chains, and locks, on the vehicle. Valadez said she had even removed the trailers wheels as a precaution but that didn't stop the theft.
"They just drove it off with no tires. They scraped the ground all the way to where they were going." Valadez said. "They were determined to take it."
Shideed called KENS 5 after his trailer was stolen and KENS 5 ran a story using the video. Someone spotted the trailer the next day but it was already gutted by the time police got to it.
"They took pretty much everything. Even the small stuff and the sprinkles and toppings,: Shideed said.
Valadez will get her trailer back eventually. She said someone bought her stolen trailer on OfferUp and then discovered the title paperwork was fraudulent. Thieves got away with several thousand dollars and police currently have possession of the vehicle.
SAPD told KENS 5 Tuesday it's not unusual for thieves to attempt selling stolen food trucks and buyers need to be careful.
"As with all items sold on a secondary marketplace, we urge the buyer to beware. In most cases, if its too good to be true, it probably is. Buyers can check Vehicle Identification Numbers prior to purchasing a vehicle by using one of the many approved providers (https://www.txdmv.gov/motorists/buying-or-selling-a-vehicle/title-check-look-before-you-buy)," SAPD said in a statement.
Now, both business owners plan to rebuild their trailers with a hidden GPS device.
"I would put not just one tracker but two trackers," Valadez said. "One inside a wall somewhere that is hard to get to. Somewhere you can hide it. Just putting a boot on or using chains on your tires or even taking tires off is not enough to prevent people from taking your stuff and taking your trailer"
Valadez hopes to have her food truck back in working order by the summer. Shideed isn't sure how long the repairs will take and friends have created a gofundme to get him started.
The owners told KENS 5 other food truck businesses need to to invest in a GPS system as well or this will just happen again.
"If you are a food truck owner I suggest you be more diligent," Valadez said. "Get a tracker for your property."