SAN JOSE (KRON) — A small family business in the South Bay has become the target of thieves.
Surveillance video shows a group of criminals dumping off a stolen work trailer and leaving nothing inside.
Ardeine Bustamante runs a mobile tire business in San Jose.
He says Thursday morning a group of thieves made off with his work trailer and cleaned out about $20,000 dollars worth of equipment.
“Anything that you possibly might need in a tire shop it was in this little trailer,” Bustamante said. Bustamante says he sprung out of bed around 3:30 a.m. once he heard something unusual going on outside.
“I heard something loud like dragging across the road that way and I figured it was chains dragging on the ground,” he said. “I went out the garage and I tried to get into my car as fast as I can and try and locate where the trailer went.”
But he was too late to catch them in the act.
Hours later surveillance video shows a white pickup truck dropping off the trailer 10 miles away from Bustamante’s San Jose home.
Drivers in the other vehicles seem to be in on the crime, as they positioned themselves accordingly.
The thieves are then seen getting out and helping unhitch the empty trailer.
“It seemed like it was planned,” Bustamante said. “This wasn’t the first time somebody has done this probably, they’ve done this multiple times.”
Around 9 a.m. Thursday morning, the trailer was spotted by a friend who alerted Bustamante. Unfortunately, the tire mounting machine, the balancer, the flat repair and wheel lock removal kits were missing.
Bustamante says he and his partners plan to get back on their feet and have tighter security on the trailer.
San Jose police have been notified about this crime.
Bustamante says he’s grateful for people showing support in the community.
A GoFundMe page to help the business has raised more than $8,000 so far.
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