Trail of grease helps woman get surveillance photos of food truck theft in Raleigh
Last month, the Wake County Sheriff's Office announced the arrest of three men believed to be responsible for burglaries occurring in northern Wake County. Since then, many people have reached out to WRAL News saying vehicles, trucks and trailers have recently been stolen.
Brandi Bayley, who owns Spice Bird Rotisserie Cafe food truck, said all that remains after her truck was stolen is grease marks on the pavement. But, Bayley said those grease marks led to a nearby Walgreens, where she was able to get a good look at the person who stole her truck.
Bayley said a while back, she felt like somebody was watching her.
"I'm under the impression that it's somebody that was watching me and my schedule," said Bayley.
Then on June 16, Bayley said her truck was stolen in broad daylight from an empty lot on Louisburg Road, near the intersection of Mitchell Mill, in Raleigh.
"My neighbor across the street gave me a call and said my trailer was missing," she said. "My response to him was, 'That's impossible. I was just there. He said, 'No, the trailer is gone.'"
All that remained was the mess left behind.
“He pulled the trailer off the lot. He did it in such a manner that everything on the counters flew to the back and it left a trail," said Bayley.
Bayley was able to view surveillance footage from the nearby Walgreens and get a good look at the thief.
"The manager at the Walgreens was nice enough to take a look at the tapes and rewind, and sure enough, there he was pulling through the Walgreens," she said.
Shortly after, Bayley posted the images online and another woman recognized the person in the photos.
Carol Jenkins said on June 11, her camper was stolen off of Fayetteville Road in Garner, and surveillance footage showed the same man with the same truck.
"I think that everybody needs to be on high alert. Everybody who has any property that can be easily towed away as you can see in those pictures — from cookers to food trailers to campers. They need to make sure that their items are secured," said Jenkins.
Bayley said she's also been getting threatening messages from someone claiming to have stolen her truck and asking for money to get it back.
"We're done. They stole the business. We're done," said Bayley.
"You want me to pay you to tell me where my stuff is at? Get out of here."
Bayley said she's offering a cash reward for information on the thief.
