LOCUST GROVE, Ga. — It's a disturbing trend growing in metro Atlanta where authorities say U-Hauls full of belongings are being stolen.
It even happened to one of our own after moving to metro Atlanta a few weeks ago. 11Alive's newest reporter, Angelina Salcedo, had just relocated from Tampa, Florida when her U-Haul was stolen from a hotel parking lot.
She shared her own story below.
A brazen crime
"It's a very organized group of individuals doing this," Locust Grove Police Chief Derrick Austin said in a sit down interview Monday.
In the matter of minutes, whatever is in the truck is gone and most of the time, it won’t be recovered. It's a brazen crime of opportunity and my U-Haul was at least the fifth stolen and being investigated in the metro that week. It was originally taken from a hotel in Locust Grove.
"It's sad that people go and be thieves and steal people's property. What they don't think about is people like you who had their whole life in this vehicle and now it's gone," Chief Austin said.
Now, Austin's officers are investigating the first U-Haul theft in Henry County in years.
"Your situation from video surveillance we observed a white SUV pull into the parking lot at the Hampton Inn. Kind of road around the parking lot and pulled up next to your vehicle," Austin said.
The video shows the U-Haul being driven out of the parking lot overnight April 28 around 1:32 a.m. Seconds later, what police believe is the suspect car follows closely behind. Twelve hours later, my mother and I noticed the truck was gone and called police.
The chase and arrest
"They both go I-75 N towards Atlanta. The biggest help in your case were the AirTags you had in your personal items," Chief Austin said.
The AirTags were in my work badge and backpack from my previous station. The badge's location brought them to a gas station off Pryor Rd. The badge was found in the trash when the U-Haul came barreling out from the back and took off.
"Police ultimately located it and arrested the driver after you guys found him," Austin said.
My mom and I chased the U-Haul to the Citi Center Shopping Center in front of the Kroger. With Atlanta Police close behind, officers arrested the driver right after he ran from them and tried to hit one of their own.
Police said 45-year-old William Jacobson was behind the wheel of the truck. APD charged him with several felonies, including theft by receiving stolen property, willful obstruction of law enforcement officers by use of threats and violence and aggravated assault against a law enforcement officer.
Everything's gone
When police opened the U-Haul on scene, everything inside was gone.
"The probably sold that merchandise for little to nothing. Our goal is if it happens to find it and hopefully get your property back. Unfortunately, in this case, we were unable to do that," Chief Austin said.
Jacobson is being held in the Fulton County jail without bond. Police said I was lucky I was able to track him down. They’re still trying to recover the items stolen, but it isn’t likely I'll get them back.
There are ways you can protect yourself while moving. Austin said to always be observant. If you’re staying in hotels, find parking lots with good lighting. Park close to the entrance or by surveillance cameras so you can see who’s responsible if something is stolen.
Police do think this was a part of an organized crime ring. If this has happened to you or someone you know, they’d like to hear from you.