A truck loaded with more than 50,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer has disappeared in Southern California, prompting a police investigation and an unusual public appeal from one of America’s best-known breweries.
The shipment, weighing about 40,000 pounds and valued at roughly $45,000, was picked up for delivery Aug. 17 but never arrived at its intended destination in Tucson, Arizona, according to the Montclair Police Department.
As investigators search for the missing cargo, Pabst has turned to social media to spread the word, offering a reward for information and jokingly urging whoever took the truck to bring it back before time runs out.
The company even suggested the alleged thief return the truck “no questions asked,” while insisting the search is very real.
Police investigating two cargo thefts
The Montclair Police Department said the missing shipment, valued at approximately $45,000, was picked up around 10 a.m. Aug. 17 before disappearing en route to Arizona.
About an hour later, investigators say a second cargo theft occurred at the same distribution center. In that incident, a purported subcontracting company allegedly used fraudulent paperwork to pick up roughly $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon products.
Police said the two thefts share similarities and are investigating whether they were carried out as part of the same fraudulent cargo theft operation. Together, the missing shipments are valued at about $70,000.
USA TODAY has reached out to the Montclair Police Department and Pabst Blue Ribbon for additional information about the investigation and will update this story if responses are received.
Pabst pleads for its beer’s return
Pabst first acknowledged the theft in an Aug. 21 Instagram post declaring: “STOLEN – 40,000lbs of beer.”
The brewery struck a lighthearted tone while asking for the truck’s return.
“To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have,” the company wrote. “We just wish you obtained it the honorable way.”
Pabst added that whoever took the truck had “exactly 18 days and 44 minutes” to return it without questions asked before the company would intensify its search and continue offering a reward for information.
Days later, the brewery posted another update, writing, “Beer is getting warmer, trail is getting colder. Clock’s still ticking,” and encouraged anyone who spots the truck to take a photo and contact the company.
In a statement to ABC News, a Pabst spokesperson said the brewery is working with local authorities to recover the truck.
“We hope that whoever managed to steal our truck also knows the importance of keeping beer cold,” the spokesperson said.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT