A pair of crooks managed to steal two pallets full of brand new Apple iPad minis from JFK International Airport. They likely would have gotten away with even more if they hadn't been interrupted by an airport worker returning from dinner, according to the New York Post.
Sources say two men arrived at the airport Monday night around 11 p.m. in a white tractor trailer with the letters CEVA printed on the side. The thieves were able to gain access to one side of airport building 261 that reportedly has less security than the others.
From here, they used an airport forklift to load the two pallets into the truck. Law enforcement officials say there were three other pallets loaded with Apple tablets but those were left behind when the airport worker returned, presumably unexpectedly.
Given the nature of the crime, it's likely that there were multiple parties involved. Police suspect that someone gave them security access to enter the premises with the truck and also to let them out. Source say police have been interviewing airport employees and have already given three polygraph tests.
The shipments had just arrived from China and were being handled by a company called Cargo Airport Services. The tablets were supposed to be distributed to various retail locations across the country. In total, nearly 3,600 units were stolen from the airport, valued at about $1.5 million.
This isn't the first time that JFK Airport has been the target of a large robbery. In 1978, $5 million in cash and $875,000 worth of jewels were stolen in what's famously known as the Lufthansa heist. It was (and still is) the largest cash robbery ever in the US. The heist has been portrayed in numerous television shows and movies including Goodfellas and The Big Heist.