PLANT CITY, Fla. — A car carrying 30 COVID-19 vaccine vials was stolen Wednesday afternoon from the Strawberry Festival grounds in Plant City.
Police are now trying to track down the car and the vials, which were supposed to be distributed at that location. There was enough vaccine in the stolen vials for somewhere between 150 and 180 doses.
At the time of the theft, the vials were in a cooler that was plugged in to keep the vaccine doses properly refrigerated. Together, the stolen vials are valued at about 10,000, according to law enforcement.
Officers described the missing car as a 2018 gray Hyundai Accent with Florida license plate NPJJ58. According to investigators, the keys had been left in the ignition by a contract employee with CDR Maguire: Health & Medical (CDR) at the time the car was stolen.
"When the employee approached the entrance to the vaccination site there was a line that hindered him from entering to deliver the vaccines," CDR wrote in a statement. "He put his car in park and stepped out a few feet intending to get the attention of the security guard on site and request to go around the line. As he did this, a thief jumped into his car, put it in drive, and took off with the 30 vials inside."
The thief is believed to be a thin, light-skinned man with long hair, investigators said. He is thought to be in his early 20s and was last seen wearing a light-colored hoodie.
A nationwide alert has been issued for the car. And Crime Stoppers of Tampa Bay has offered up to a $5K reward for information that leads to the man's identity and arrest.
CDR is contracted with the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County to provide logistical support for local vaccination efforts, including helping with appointment scheduling and running vaccines from staging sites to vaccination locations.
The stolen car did not have any markings on it that would have indicated it was affiliated with CDR or vaccine delivery efforts.
"CDR has no reason to believe the thief knew the vials were in the car," the organization wrote. "At this point, we do not know the whereabouts of the thief or the vials."
CDR said replacements of the vaccine vials had been secured, and anyone with appointments will still receive their doses as scheduled.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Plant City Police Department at 813-757-9200. Or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-8477
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