MONROE - An aluminum theft was foiled Wednesday, March 21, after the thieves couldn't manage to carry off their loot.
According to Monroe Police, employees at Orchid International saw two white men in their late teens or early 20s slip in the back entrance of the automotive assemblies plant, 350 21st St., and then take off with two 40-pound aluminum ingots.
The aluminum bricks, about 3 feet long and 4 inches thick, were apparently too heavy for the fleeing men. Police recovered the aluminum, which had been discarded about a block south of the Orchid facility on 5th Avenue.
Had the thieves found a buyer, the street value of the aluminum would have been less than $100, according to Kevin Monahan, human resource manager at Orchid.
The theft was "pretty gutsy," he said. "We had people working right there."
Monahan wasn't surprised the men abandoned the bricks: "They're kind of awkward. It wouldn't be easy to run with them. It'd be like carrying a 40-pound bag of salt."
The plant processes about 1.2 million pounds of steel every week through 1,500-degree ovens, he added. Workers like to open the back doors to let in a cool breeze, so Orchid is looking into installing mesh gates that would prevent future break-ins but still add ventilation.
Monahan said thefts aren't a common occurrence, however.
"We haven't had any issues here for a long time," he said.
Police are still searching for the suspects.
According to Monroe Police, employees at Orchid International saw two white men in their late teens or early 20s slip in the back entrance of the automotive assemblies plant, 350 21st St., and then take off with two 40-pound aluminum ingots.
The aluminum bricks, about 3 feet long and 4 inches thick, were apparently too heavy for the fleeing men. Police recovered the aluminum, which had been discarded about a block south of the Orchid facility on 5th Avenue.
Had the thieves found a buyer, the street value of the aluminum would have been less than $100, according to Kevin Monahan, human resource manager at Orchid.
The theft was "pretty gutsy," he said. "We had people working right there."
Monahan wasn't surprised the men abandoned the bricks: "They're kind of awkward. It wouldn't be easy to run with them. It'd be like carrying a 40-pound bag of salt."
The plant processes about 1.2 million pounds of steel every week through 1,500-degree ovens, he added. Workers like to open the back doors to let in a cool breeze, so Orchid is looking into installing mesh gates that would prevent future break-ins but still add ventilation.
Monahan said thefts aren't a common occurrence, however.
"We haven't had any issues here for a long time," he said.
Police are still searching for the suspects.