The heist happened around 12:30 a.m. on the 700 block of Pattison Avenue.
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The tractor-trailer was parked overnight at the Jetro Restaurant supply warehouse lot, across from the sports complex.
The driver was in the cab at the time.
The driver told detectives that one thief told him "We're only taking a little" then pointed to his hip, possibly gesturing to a weapon.
Fifteen boxes of beef were stolen, an estimated value of $7,660.
Some slabs of beef spilled out and were left behind as the suspects fled in a Ford Explorer.
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Philadelphia police recorded 196 cargo thefts so far this year. There were 242 last year.
Truck drivers say they are arming themselves with tools to keep their expensive loads safe, like heavy-duty locks. They know their cargo can net a pretty penny on the street.
"There's $250,000 worth of meat in the back of these trucks, and that's $750,000 by the time they sell it. That's a lot of money," says trucker Mark Leighton.
In October, in Kensington, a trucker awoke to find 184 cases of crab clusters were stolen from his trailer. The crabs were valued at $73,000.