Thieves Steal Dozens Of New York City Trash Cans, Reports Say

NEW YORK, NY — The NYPD is hunting down a group of thieves with a peculiar target: garbage cans. Since mid-February, the criminals have stolen at least 20 cans belonging to business districts and charitable organizations in Midtown, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side, according to reports.

The thefts have prompted an investigation by the NYPD grand larceny squad, which is still struggling to determine what motive the thieves may have for stealing the bins,NBC 4 New York's I-Team first reported. A theory among victims is that the thieves are re-selling the pricey cans to groups in other cities, the New York Post reported.

"Someone could remove the decals and sell them outside of New York City," Monica Blum, president of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District, told the Post.

The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District had two of its $1,3000 trash cans stolen during the month of February, the Post reported.

It's unlikely that the thieves are selling the cans to scrap metal collectors, NBC 4 reported. In a trash can's original condition, any scrap metal collector would be able to determine it's stolen goods, according to the report. After demolition, the cans would only fetch a profit of about $22 , scrap metal experts told NBC-4.

Police have yet to determine an official motive for the thefts, but have discovered how the thieves manage to steal the hefty cans. Security footage showed that the thieves pull up next to a can in a box truck, load it on by hand — with the trash still inside — and then take off in the truck, NBC 4 reported.

The Midtown Partnership has lost four cans — valued at a combined $6,000 — to the thieves, the New York Post reported. To fight back, the partnership is pooling efforts with other business groups to monitor a potential trash-can black market, president Rob Byrne told the Post.

"One thing that has been speculated is that there is a secondary market," Byrne told the Post. "This is not something we’re going to let go."

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