It happened around 3:15 a.m. Sunday, along the 9700 block of Roosevelt Boulevard.
"Nothing surprises me these days. Nobody wants to work, but everybody wants something," said Paul Houston, a resident of Olney.
Officers responded to a tractor-trailer that was parked behind a Lowe's in the Whitman Square Shopping Center.
The truck driver told police that two men broke into his trailer and stole 40 boxes of meat that were inside.
"Why would people steal meat, though," said Randall Jimenez, a resident of Mayfair.
The suspects loaded the meat into two vehicles before fleeing the scene.
"That's terrible. Very terrible. Nobody gets away with anything, so whoever did that, look forward to God coming back," said Zakariyh Bryant, a Fern Rock resident.
The driver told police they estimate the stolen goods are worth $22,000.
"It's crazy, you've got to be real desperate to do something like that," said Northeast Philadelphia resident Fred Marcellino.
Police recovered eight of the boxes from the rear of the 9700 block of Roosevelt Boulevard.
Police say the two masked men got away in a newer gold Nissan.
If you have any information contact Northeast Detectives.