2 men allegedly stole 140 shopping carts from a NJ store, leading to shortage | NBC New York

Two men arrested in Newark are being called career criminals; they're allegedly swiping shopping carts, making off with tens of thousands of dollars worth of them.
Police arrested 77-year-old Alfredo Rodriguez and 54-year-old Hector Cortes, calling them the "Shopping Cart Bandits."
The pair took at least 140 carts - worth nearly $30,000 potentially.
News 4's Pat Battle reports.

[@mustafakaya5423]

They have a good security team, but found out carts are being stolen after 140 are gone😂

[@addanametocontinue]

Security team is probably focused on theft inside the store, but yeah, it was a odd comment to make, given the situation, lol.

[@blackcherry6877]

Same thing I was thinking. "Real good security" would have at least caught on to this by cart 20 not 120.

[@Righteous1ist]

From my observation, security are either purposely letting innocent looking ones get away with everything in front of their eyes, or too scared to do anything to the tough and bad looking guys and also letting them get away with everything. The normal people is what their dumbass pay attention to and harass, just so they can pretend they're doing their job.

[@Roadrunner0077]

​@@blackcherry6877no you wouldn't ...they have over 500 won't notice till a huge chunk gone

[@Roadrunner0077]

​@@addanametocontinueyou wouldn't notice small amounts carts gone if got over 500

[@jimmy1154]

That's a real old looking 54 year old.

[@86GT11]

Yep

[@nadagabri5783]

Can’t be 54 got to be 75 and up

[@seanmc7128]

Hard life does that to you

[@erickomar3752]

Drugs are bad.

[@mannidennis1031]

lol cocaine is a hell off a drug 😂😂😂

[@JamesBrown-si8eu]

I'm 57 and this 54 year old could pass for my dad.

[@puffinsmurf3749]

Welll, step dad maybe lmao

[@faithcyan2462]

I almost died. Lol 😂 🤣

[@JustReed]

I'm 65 and he looks older than me. Daddy?

[@iheartlofi]

Fructose and processed food destroyed their faces.

[@user-rx9ds5rm9x]

Drugs

[@cnmathias5187]

As someone who pulled carts for 2 and a half years at Walmart, the cart pusher noticed before the manager.

[@ItsDanny91]

People like this are the reason why some markets won’t let you take the cart out the store to your car

[@Killer_Turnip]

That and they would have to employ someone to gather all the carts.

[@askew9976]

Aldi has a coin system, but an employee goes out periodically to gather carts left sprawled in the lot. Nobody extra…

[@vision821k4]

Don't worry, I've seen an Indian women wipe her butt with a t-shirt we were selling. We are becoming a third world country. Why do you think we all have hundreds of apartments cropping up all across the nation? Good-bye Middle Class, and they will just have us fight with the poor illegals now who are one step away from me sadly referring to them as animals. No, it's not all of you, most of you are fine...sort of. You're still going to block the isles with your shopping cart since no one taught you better, you're still going to decide the best place to put on your kid's coat is the front door that everyone is trying to go in and out of. You will miss the big DO NOT ENTER sign and probably break the door to get out, or bang on the credit card machine until it breaks like it's stuck vending machine. But hey, at least you're not violent (most of you). I watched a lady take a broom and knock down like 15 hooks sandals were on, and she turns around to me and smiles and replies, "Like getting fruit from tree." What?!??!

[@AEMoreira81]

Many stores these days have locking wheels on their arts.

[@redpilledhispanic1239]

Dollar Tree is an example of

[@luanamuldoon]

Bubbles?

[@EnlistedBombin]

So proud boys @trailerparkboys

[@darrylramsey6232]

😆

[@robertwilliams3527]

Seriously 😂

[@George-dy3pt]

😂😂😂😂

[@mikemike5223]

Love it!!!!! Great show!

[@WillieFufu-lo1nb]

He's a rough 54 years old.

[@nunyabuziness8421]

I just turned 54 and he makes me look 30😂

[@vision821k4]

@@nunyabuziness8421 hahaha im 18 your old you lived with dinosaurs i bet haha 🤣😂🤣😂

[@will7its]

@@vision821k4 Yeah but your a low T marshmallow.....🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@cormacthem8406]

He’s from Newark, a rough life will age you.

[@Dusty42096]

I think he looks hot!

[@Morzanith]

When you run out of meth....

[@zzizahacallar]

FR

[@poochinsky]

meth is a country thing. its probably crack here.

[@Kim-Berly200]

Senior citizens stealing shopping cart😮 Weird

[@colliswilliams8992]

54 isn't a senior citizen

[@will7its]

Biden economy......

[@HummaKavula-DontVoteForStupid]

@@will7itswoooooooow!!!! So there’s never been theft in this country due to bad economy??? Damn! My history teachers lied to me!!! Thanks for dropping facts

[@will7its]

@@HummaKavula-DontVoteForStupid Did I say that? Noooooooooooooo It's just much worse now........Reading comprehension try it.

[@HummaKavula-DontVoteForStupid]

@@will7its it’s called an inference. It was actually your fault for not providing us any more information as to what you were implying. So what are you implying? What is it about the “Biden economy” that validates this story?

[@MichElle-zc9tu]

They never realized till 140 carts went missing?🙃

[@hiya2112]

Bubbles is NOT going to be happy with this disruption to his supply chain.

[@derrickscott9469]

😆The Wire is one of my favorite shows and Andre Royo crushed that role.

[@hasteandfury2424]

Oh you’re so funny. 🖕🏼

[@hiya2112]

@@hasteandfury2424 what exactly triggered you?

[@sunflowing]

​@@hiya2112He's irl Bubbles

[@joshharris7004]

Haha legit thought the same

[@alexrekzu4079]

Where was Cart Narc?

[@WillieFufu-lo1nb]

$200 each for a used shopping cart? GTFOH !

[@cuscrapping]

Yep. They're $500-700 new!

[@George-dy3pt]

😂😂😂

[@Bigghaze]

Right

[@DandyDan123]

I have 20 for 150 each if you are interested? I’m joking but that is nuts!

[@stelity]

@@cuscrapping wtf... that's highway robbery... They're not worth that much. I could buy a hand truck at that price.

[@supportmytroups7]

And now you just made the problem worse by putting this idea in everybody’s head. Never even occurred to me they were that expensive or profitable.

[@danarespress164]

Now they will lock those up and place more prices on groceries 🫠

[@AEMoreira81]

Most stores have locking wheels on their carts for this reason. Gatekeeper Systems has an entire business addressing this issue only.

[@electron6825]

I guess we should ban all news now 🙄

[@ericbattista9341]

@@AEMoreira81I don’t know what stores you shop at but “most” is highly inaccurate. Never seen a single one with that

[@farouk7336]

Where have you been all these years, shopping carts have always been expensive for grocery stores to buy and replace. You just never hear of anyone stealing this many at one time. Carts are made of steal and steal can go from 20-50 cents per pound. The average cart is 50-70 pounds.

[@janiestla5945]

The Walmart I used to work at had a guy caught on surveillance cameras put two of our brand new motor carts in the bed of his pick up and take off. Got to wonder how much those cost.

[@WASTEOFTIMESTUDIOS]

Between 2-4K depending on brand, model, and seller.

[@timbrown8038]

Did not happen at Aldis. Unless they had 140 quarters.

[@epiphanyofCorrectness]

Sure they could. They are already chained up together.😅

[@blackwhirlwind1245]

140 quarters ain’t that hard😂 all you have to do is go to your bank and get some quarters.

[@john_wick1]

77 year old stealing carts... that's his daily workout.. haha..

[@morganjanelle4282]

@john_wick1 Lol 😂😂 Between _that,_ & trying to put his underwear on without losing his balance, he probably had quite a busy day.

[@dilvastak7351]

This is not an everyday workout, but a vital necessity to eat and spend money on medicine.

[@cityofabscissae]

Taking a shopping cart home is not understandable! That's theft!

[@roachtoasties]

If they immediately bring it back.

[@vision821k4]

the foreigners just bring them back to their apartments and leave them. they also throw trash in them its like they cant resist. USA is becoming a third world s**hole

[@WithoutRemorse12]

Shopping bags will eventually rip. When you are trying to carry a load of them home.

[@vision821k4]

@@WithoutRemorse12 f***k you foreigner, no cart leaves this premises. you want stronger bags? 4.99 in the corner. and you won't be returning them this time.

[@Klm49]

I think he means people take them home with groceries and then bring them back.

[@user-er3ri6sc3j]

Cash money for shopping carts. What isn't bolted down will be taken especially if it has four wheels.

[@user-er3ri6sc3j]

@JaneDoe-dr6zc You're right I corrected it. Thanks.

[@jolenestrubberg8897]

Why are they not being ticketed or arrested for grand theft is it about 500 for each one! The police should make them return it to the store parking lot!

[@tonysudano778]

$500 for a shopping cart is the real crime here

[@blak3brutus229]

@@tonysudano778they use crazy strong metals and a lot of unnecessary safety mechanisms for stupid children.

[@jaydemo5792]

Hey , As long as something has a value it will disappear...... The low life that roam the streets today are like never before....

[@dicktracy5234]

Where do you sell shopping carts on the streets at ?

[@Surprise_Inspection]

Hidden reply

[@Zeevuhl]

@@Surprise_Inspection Sooo scary!

[@will7its]

Lots more coming every day....lol

[@jaydemo5792]

@@Zeevuhl 😝😝😝

[@leelee185]

Please stop stealing carts. Thankyou

[@SuperMoss15]

@@puffinsmurf3749 Are you talking about Reginald Cousins?

[@bluelava4282]

I need da money

[@springsbliss4094]

@@bluelava4282 no you don't

[@bluelava4282]

@@springsbliss4094 go fund me 💰

[@sunflowing]

Well we'd have to fix the world first

[@TheSouthIsHot]

Never in my life have I thought of stealing a shopping cart. And then they stole 140 of them.

[@Mischa21xo]

I remember going to Walgreens a few years back, and there were no baskets. Counting myself, there were only 3 customers in the store, so I asked where all the baskets were. They said some guy came in there the night before and took the entire stack and ran out the door, leaving only 1 basket for the entire store. I still don't understand what the point was to steal a bunch of plastic Walgreens baskets...with idiots like this, soon they'll be making us pay to rent baskets/carts just so they're not stolen. It really is ridiculous & pathetic the behavior of these low lifes.

[@darkespeon64]

Some stores like Aldis do require you to rent them out. But atm it's just a quarter

[@R8DRBeagle]

Cellmate : I'm in here for murder. What you in for? 54 yr old : I stole some shopping carts

[@Typical.Anomaly]

A shopping cart will buy you about 100 pounds of cat food!

[@BrandMalone24]

I need that, BRB going to safeway

[@ChiefBridgeFuser]

😂😂😂

[@BillyLapTop]

I heard they were inspired by Bubbles from Trailer Park Boys.

[@tothelighthouse9843]

We're all inspired by Bubbles from TPB.

[@tylerrjohnson68]

Lmao​@@tothelighthouse9843

[@HummaKavula-DontVoteForStupid]

How is it “alleged” when they’re caught red-handed???

[@rangerannie5636]

Does the store offer a reward for "recovered" shopping carts? Some of our local stores used to give like a $50 reward for each cart.

[@vicpetrishak7705]

Something tells me this reward would turn into a SCAM !

[@solandri69]

Wouldn't that just result in people stealing a cart, returning it a few days later for the reward, rinse and repeat?

[@rangerannie5636]

And that's why the stores USED TO OFFER that bounty! Now, they contract with a couple of independent contractors who drive around and collect the carts to return. Other stores have converted to carts that lock up if you try to push them off the property and/or plastic carts.

[@joesmith6972]

Wheeling a shopping cart home is understandable? Well, hell.

[@HeatherRider]

Shopping Cart Bandits: (stealing shopping carts) 🛒 Florida Man: "Are you challenging me?"

[@canada0118]

This feels like one of those crimes that mean nothing, at least compared what's happening in chicago.

[@Hawkeyemedia340]

how strange

[@JoelRyanQuinn]

$200 for a used shopping cart? That's a ripoff. Come on down to Joel's Shopping Cart Emporium! We've got Walmart carts for $50, Kroger carts for $65 dollars, we've got a Whole Foods Mobility Cart for only $139. Financing available! And remember, "For a buggy that's state of the art, look no further than Joel's Shopping Carts!" Located in a van outside grocery stores everywhere. Cash only.

[@GEAE_Denny_L]

Even my local VA hospital has a huge problem with wheelchair thefts from those who borrow them visiting.

[@VictorVictor-oq6dh]

He said they have a good security team. He should have left the word “good” out. If they were good, this wouldn’t be on the news.

[@chrmurr1]

Walmart's riding shopping carts disappear and I have bed knees and legs, don't steal carts folks need them.

[@mrsleep0000]

Criminals don't care about you or what you need.

[@HustleMuscleGhias]

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk April 09, 2019 at 3:07 pm PDT CROSSVILLE, Tenn. - A Tennessee woman is accused of leading police on a slow-speed chase after stealing an electric scooter from Walmart to get coffee at a Waffle House down the street. WKRN reported that investigators got a call about a woman driving an electric scooter in the slow lane of a highway in Crossville, Tennessee, around 5 a.m. Friday. According to WTVF, officials with the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department said Sally Selby, 45, told police she built the cart and someone ripped off the lights on it. She said she was driving the cart from Walmart to Waffle House to get a cup of coffee, according to police. Surveillance footage from Walmart showed Selby entering the store and shopping while riding the scooter, police said, according WKRN. Officers said she drove the scooter out of the store, around the parking lot and onto the highway. Police said they charged Selby with theft once she was pulled over, WTVF reported.

[@Dave....]

When they say to think outside of the box, it wasn't referring to steal shopping carts. Come on guys, get it together lol.

[@drquinnmedicinewoman7786]

usually my seniors are stealing batteries, good grief!

[@ARoyalLyon]

Out here in the remote desert there's a fleabag motel alongside the main highway and every single time I drive past there's a distinctive cart from the Dollar General 1/4 mile away right on the edge of their property. Can't stand people who feel entitled to help themselves to things others use and need.

[@govinda102000]

No they are called criminals/thieves.

[@c5cpe]

Similar to the sand in the wheelbarrow story. Police kept sifting through the sand for contraband, but they were stealing the wheelbarrows😊

[@user-hu9gk5ok1s]

This is why we cant have nice things

[@richstrobel]

It's a big misunderstanding officer. We're going to perform a public service and fix the wheels.

[@allandecena83]

I'm originally from New Jersey and I remember back in the day when I used to go shopping at Shoprite, I remember the Shoprite carts used to be orange and I usually have to use a quarter to use their carts and you get the quarter back after using their carts. I think times changed.

[@ugk26]

The Meijer near me has electronic tracking. If it tries to leave the parking lot, wheels lock. It wouldn’t have completely stopped it, but it would have made it more difficult to steal.

[@girlinvt]

It's a big deal a small shopping cart costs 174 bucks a full size cart 239 if it's plastic, 189 if it's metal. Having 2 people steal 140 is not chump change it over 26,460 if it's a full size metal cart with zero personalization like a store name that cost extra. Pretty sure you'd be upset if someone stole 26k from you.

[@user-we7eh1lh2x]

Why? are they selling them to the homeless?

[@raykane2063]

Nope for the Rich people that own the scrap metal company they pay pennies on the pound for metal. Most of the petty theft is really done by Rich Organized Crime rings. They only show the poor people that's doing the crimes.

[@MissylovesTrouble]

Resell them to smaller stores or they can get money for them by scrapping them.

[@cuscrapping]

@@MissylovesTrouble shopping carts are illegal to scrap without proper documentation from the store in all 50 states.

[@justsayin5609]

As if....duh!

[@rogerrosen2323]

@@cuscrapping must sell them then the stores wd be guilty they took too many

[@brysoncherry9884]

This is why people have to waste their time with quarter returns

[@jrose-xp6tf]

CART them off to jail.

[@DRventura333]

So many homeless have taken carts to carry their items; we see them all over the roads. But why these guys stole over 140 carts! Who buys shopping carts as some have the store logo on them. Shame on those other stores who are buying stolen shopping carts.

[@tonymontana4284]

You need the Cart Narc.

[@frauwolftherehorse]

❤

[@HarveyFoFi]

This should be on a Beavis, & Butthead episode LOL

[@bourneoutdoors6758]

Cory and Trevor are back at it again

[@CharlesHallESP]

Bubbles strikes again

[@spiritanimal7516]

Cat food is expensive.

[@drevil5546]

Freedom 55

[@stanleygoering4856]

“Hand on the cart like this then…whoopsie, down she goes and then come pick her up later”!

[@beck1365]

Seriously? I used to live near a retail area and the number of carts abandoned in our neighborhood was ridiculous. One artistic neighbor even made a sculpture out of a bunch he found just driving around. Stores refused to come get them.

[@CareyHolzman]

You just don't see that kind of work ethic in the youth today...

[@DCell1961]

We have been having this happen where I live for years. The small Dollar Tree next door to me buys shopping carts all the time because at times they will be down to three or four carts. The manager there is the one who told me these carts cost $200.00 a piece and it's a big expense for stores to keep replacing them. So, because of people who feel they can take whatever they please like these two jerks, many customers have to go without a cart or the store must pay out more money to replace them. Because of low life sum bags, like these two, pretty soon there will be no brick and mortar stores left to shop at.

[@mick8888V]

New Low-income housing musta been approved.

[@user-td4ys2pv7p]

Everytime I went to a local park in the city there was always shopping cart in the pond for some odd reason.

[@zackrice9395]

:26 most "Just shut up and let me do my job" face ever lol

[@kevinnelson6460]

Just arrest them and put them in jail for felony theft

[@arfriedman4577]

Reminds me of the movie with George Burns. The older guys committing crimes.

[@morganjanelle4282]

@arfriedman4577 "Going In Style", was the name of the movie, I think. I've never seen it, but I've heard of it.

[@trainmaster0217]

Nothing new where I live. I see shopping carts everywhere. People take them like they own them and the customers has to pay for them.

[@JrRickard]

Last thing to go is your strength when getting old.

[@Kilaminjaro13]

These carts are public domain Ricky!

[@jayfridayaq]

Bubbles, and Ricky at it again!!! (Trailer Park Boys TV show)

[@ExUSSailor]

I love how the cop seemed like he was about 2 seconds from busting out laughing the whole time.

[@CMcKinnon1013]

I'm sooo sorry. 😢😢😢😊

[@affliction6911]

My looking online and there's people that make art sculptures. And alot of them are unbelievable 😮 i told my wife when I first was hearing the news report.. most likely it's homeless people stealing them to put the stuff in. And the last time I heard shopping carts from supermarkets costs $500 to $800 each. So now I guess their made cheaper and cost $250 each

[@askew9976]

They won’t get charged with grand theft though. Slap on the hand and business as usual.

[@HotFiya05]

The f*** you stealing boxes for? What you trying to build, a clubhouse?

[@justjokinntokin5474]

Man I know you didn’t go out like that 😂😂

[@mlim82480]

Maybe they're trying to revive that MTV show Jackass.

[@dougfredricks2017]

L😂L

[@notmebutyou8350]

UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE

[@forestc6014]

I wasn’t stealing carts, Gary. I was down here having a pee.

[@poollife777]

Creeps.

[@Steven-hq3go]

What's creepy about them?

[@yvonnephillips3888]

Close the freaking border already.

[@margaretdimick2096]

They could've been born here. 🤔

[@TomikaKelly]

You seem to not be the brightest, so as long as they agree to lock you out, I'm all for it.

[@johnschoonmaker-tm3ll]

A shopping cart is essential to life on the street. A good easy push is precious, also note they are zero emissions. Just a side note the automobile companies should offer a line of shopping carts at their dealerships, it would boost their low sales numbers.

[@davealmighty9638]

Ricky, Julian, and Bubbles have some competition.😂

[@mayspondmogul]

It was the Trailer Park Boys Bubbles🤣

[@WNHTCT]

they're being melted down. go to the buyers of the scrap metal

[@Joe_Brown99]

Most likely

[@cuscrapping]

shopping carts are illegal to sell to a scrap yard without proper authorization from the store in all 50 states.

[@WNHTCT]

@@cuscrapping that's all fine snd good if the scrappers adhere to that law

[@richards.7770]

Steel at a scrap yard fetches a penny a pound. Simply not worth it.

[@cuscrapping]

@@richards.7770 Yes, steel prices are crap right now. But you'd be surprised what drug addicts will do for a buck. Gives a bad name to the honest scrappers.

[@VILJL]

There is a major problem with shopping carts being taken from stores. I exercise-walk everyday and I always see shopping carts from different places abandoned on the sidewalks and also I see carts while I am driving. I live in Miami, Florida and among other places, I have seen carts from CVS, Walgreens, Navarro's, Publix, Winn Dixie, Fresco y Mas, Home Depot and so on. At my nearest CVS location, there are no longer hand-baskets for shopping. They have all disappeared

[@timbaldwin6283]

Alfredo and Hector. CLOSE THE BORDER!!

[@richstex4736]

William & John. CLOSE THE BORDER!! - Native Americans, early 1600s.

[@blotfd]

we've been full. way too many poc foreigners

[@blotfd]

​@@richstex4736we traded colorful beads for the place.

[@checkoutmyyoutubepage]

@@blotfd then move back to Europe and marry your daughter.

[@Deezcutz2024]

​@richstex4736 it's 2024

[@Rayne2010]

Rochelle Park, NJ is not Newark……NBC bad reporting

[@ronjohnson9032]

Someone has been watching Trailer Park Boys.😂

[@galvanisedsquareste_el]

inflation has gone through the roof if ppl gonna steal shopping carts to sell them 💀

[@askew9976]

Newark…no surprise there.

[@xwrtk]

This doesn’t surprise as I used to work at a grocery store where this happened a bunch. We ran out of children carts and carts where children could pretend to drive due to stealing. We also did have elderly people steal carts.

[@Pauly_C.]

And I thought I had it bad with pushing carts back in my day! Lol

[@Eastcoastconnects]

That’s just crazy

[@RantRantJoe]

Hard times these days. You gotta do what you gotta to survive.

[@frankr7902]

So this cop thinks that its ok that they steal 1 shopping cart? What a stupid thing to say? WOW

[@basillah7650]

Not a cop wannabes looking at camera in some over priced store that why they had to box them in parking lot to call the real cops because they just idiots being paid to watch cameras then gang up on old people that cannot afford the high prices because have to waste money on paying camera watchers.

[@hughjass1835]

"Taking one home, understandable." No, no it isn't

[@blazed85]

I’m sure the guys who go outside to collect carts noticed their job was getting easier over time and decided not to say anything.

[@martinphillips4567]

I am not surprised people see are stealing shopping carts, and the Security team knew this was Was happening, the only reason There tell you the store is not profitable yet.

[@MissylovesTrouble]

This type of crime has been going on for years. Guys in vans/trucks swiping them to make money off of them. These two were just too obvious about it. Stealing that amount in such a short time.

[@x-raycat323]

Border wall please

[@jlover911]

these guys have lived in Patterson for over 50 years

[@KnucklesWTD]

@@jlover911also no guarantee they’re even Mexican

[@cmndrkool321]

At the Menards I worked at, 140 shopping carts would be about 90% of the store’s supply. There would only be a dozen left.

[@KB9TKB]

People who do this are probably the reason I can never find any of the smaller carts at Walmart and have to take the big one instead when I'm only there to buy a few things. The amount of Walmart's smaller carts seems to be dwindling. Don't retailers consider shopping carts part of their assets and therefore "store property" or do they not care and just buy a new one for everyone stolen like it's no big deal.

[@AFloridaSon]

I actually expected this to be teens planning an epic Tictoc video.

[@toniaammon5182]

The *excellent security team* part is confusing

[@rosaspanjol673]

Really? Wow! ..unbelievable!

[@digitalwitness77]

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be Saved. Acts 16:31kjv For God so Loved the World, That he gave his only Begotten Son, That Whosoever Believeth in him Should Not Perish, But have Everlasting Life. John 3:16kjv For by Grace are ye Saved through Faith; And that Not of Yourselves: It is the Gift of God; Not of Works, Lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9kjv Therefore we conclude that a man is Justified by Faith, without the deeds of the Law. Romans 3:28kjv These things have I written unto you that Believe on the name of the Son of God, That ye may Know that ye have Eternal Life and that ye may Believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13kjv

[@Reconseal4050]

How are people checking out without a shopping cart? 😂