2M$ worth of Nike shoes stolen from freight trains

Many of these shoes have not yet reached the retail market, according to officials and court documents.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the method of thieves involves discreetly boarding trains to sabotage their brakes and, thus, stop the convoy.

Since last March, at least ten burglaries targeting BNSF trains in remote areas of the Mojave Desert have occurred, according to the Los Angeles Times. All, with the exception of one, resulted in the theft of Nike sneakers.

This is particularly the case with the theft on January 13. According to a criminal complaint filed in a federal court in Phoenix, 1900 pairs of Nikes valued at over $440,000 (US) were stolen during this theft.

The complaint states that it was largely about the Nigel Sylvester x Air Jordan 4, worth $225 per pair, which will only be available to the public starting March 14.

Eleven people have been charged with burglary on January 13 for possession or receipt of stolen property during interstate transportation. They all pleaded not guilty and have been held in custody until the trial.

The suspects were arrested with the help of location devices that were inside some of the shoe boxes, the complaint states.

Two other incidents, in which BNSF freight trains were robbed last year near Kingman and Seligman, Arizona, led to the theft of Nike sneakers worth $612,000 and eight arrests, according to federal criminal complaints.

In 2024, freight train trips increased by 40%, according to the Association of American Railroads, reaching 65,000 nationwide.

The thefts on freight trains cost more than 100 million dollars to the six largest freight rail companies in the country last year, highlights CNN.