Thieves have targeted trains in a series of robberies. On January 13, the perpetrators disabled the brakes of a train passing through the desert in Arizona. They stole 1,900 pairs of Nike sneakers worth a total of $440,000. Most of the stolen goods were Nike Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4s, set for release on March 14. The retail price for this model is $225 per pair.
In November 2024, another BNSF train was attacked near Hackberry, Arizona. In that incident they stole 180 pairs of Air Jordan 11 Retro Legend Blue sneakers, estimated to be worth $41,400.
In other incidents, criminals took Nike shoes with a total worth of $612,000.
The perpetrators had been targeting slow-moving trains, which facilitated breaking into the containers. Arizona Deputy Sheriff Keith Lewis said he believes that criminals are receiving information from insiders. These informants are believed to work in logistics and are providing details about which shipments contain coveted items, like the Nike shoes.
It is suspected that the criminals have accomplices following the trains by car. They track the trains and pick up stolen boxes thrown off during stops. Reports say freight train thefts are becoming increasingly common.
Police arrested 11 suspects, charging them with theft, possession, and resale of stolen goods. Investigators tracked the criminals using GPS devices hidden inside some of the stolen boxes. There are at least 10 such robberies targeting BNSF trains in the Mojave desert in the last year, investigators said.