Advertisement

Video shows thousands of stolen packages, empty boxes littering L.A. railway

Click to play video: 'Plundered packages litter LA train tracks after thieves swipe items from cargo containers'
Plundered packages litter LA train tracks after thieves swipe items from cargo containers
WATCH: Thousands of boxes have littered the Union Pacific track tracks in downtown Los Angeles over the past several days as thieves have raided cargo containers of the trains that stop in the area to unload. It's left shredded boxes and things the thieves didn't pilfer littering the ground, including at-home COVID-19 tests and other packages ordered from Amazon and other companies by people across the country – Jan 14, 2022

Have you ever expected a package delivery, only to find that it was seemingly lost in the ether? It never makes it onto your porch, and the status stays stuck on “out for delivery”?

New video, captured in a Los Angeles train yard, shows what happens to at least some of the packages that never reach their final destination.

John Schreiber, a freelance photojournalist working for CBS, captured incredible footage of the rampant looting and theft that has been plaguing cargo trains in L.A.

Shredded boxes and packages are seen at a section of the Union Pacific train tracks in downtown Los Angeles Friday, Jan. 14, 2022. Thieves have been raiding cargo containers aboard trains nearing downtown Los Angeles for months, leaving the tracks blanketed with discarded packages. Ringo H.W. Chiu / The Associated Press

The video shows debris as far as the eye can see – thousands of broken boxes, discarded merchandise and unopened Amazon Prime packages.

Story continues below advertisement

The area looks almost like a landfill, and Schreiber and his colleagues witnessed a few brazen thefts while the cameras were rolling.

Schreiber said he was prompted to head to the Lincoln Heights train yard after hearing multiple train burglaries come across the L.A. police scanner.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

He spoke with Union Pacific officials while shooting his videos, who told him that the area was cleaned up about 30 days ago, so what he was shooting had only happened within the last month.

Story continues below advertisement

Among the packages, Schreiber shows unopened COVID-19 rapid tests, epi pens and fishing lures.

The trains stop in the area for hours, and sometimes overnight, to unload their cargo. However, sources told CBSLA that the locks used on the containers are easy to cut through.

In a statement to CBSLA, Union Pacific said they are “very concerned about the increased cargo thefts” and that they have “increased the number of…special agents on patrol.”

Indeed, Schreiber’s camera caught Union Pacific police chasing two thieves away from the area.

Sponsored content

AdChoices