Semi truck driver hopes images of thief captured on dashcam video lead to arrest, recovery
MINNEAPOLIS – After 25 years on the road, truck driver Joe Cotrone traded cross-county life for a life at home with his family.
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"I just came off the road in October of last year to do this locally, moving containers around the city, so I'm home every night now," Cotrone said.
But now his livelihood is on the line. His truck was stolen early Sunday morning from Northeast Truck and Auto in Blaine.
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"It's my work, my livelihood, you know?" he said.
He dropped it off Friday to fix the air conditioning. The auto shop has security cameras, but they told Cotrone they weren't working when it was stolen. But what was working was his own camera inside his truck, which captured the thief behind the wheel at 2:36 a.m.
"It showed that it had moved from the shop there down to Inver Grove Heights, the truck stop," Cotrone said.
The driver then turned away the camera, and electronic tracking ended.
"My heart sunk," Cotrone said.
He put out a plea on social media, which was shared almost 10,000 times in 24 hours.
"A lot of people reached out, sharing my post and everything. It's cool. Big family sometimes," he said.
The truck's license plate is PAR0046. There's an "Oruc Logistics" sign on the side with truck number 007. People have spotted it in northwestern Minnesota, near Fargo.
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Cotrone is just hoping he gets it back, in one piece.
"Hopefully it doesn't get damaged too much so I can still be able to work," he said.
If you see the truck, you should contact your local law enforcement.
