Just over two weeks after someone stole more than 1,600 cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer, the company said it is prepared to offer a reward to find it.
The stolen beer is just one of two incidents that happened on Monday, Aug. 17, in Southern California, in which thieves took Pabst Blue Ribbon products worth a combined total of $70,000, according to the Montclair Police Department.
Pabst Blue Ribbon Chief Executive Officer Greig DeBow said in a video shared on TikTok this week that 1,602 cases of beer were stolen that day. The company wants the beer back and will offer a reward of up to $5,000 for it. The company wants the beer returned by Wednesday, Sept. 9. After that, the company will bump the reward up.
"After the September 9th deadline, the reward
will be up to $20,000," the company said in the TikTok video's caption.
“That's a full truckload of PBR,” DeBow said in the video, shared to TikTok. “Someone had the balls to steal it … I'm sure they look cool with a garage full of PBR. That's actually not cool, though. We want it back.”
“If you don't bring it back, well, we have no choice,” DeBow said. “We're going to offer up to $20,000 for any new information leading to the lost goods. It's that simple.”
USA TODAY contacted Pabst Blue Ribbon and police on Sept. 3 for details.
Here’s what we know about the stolen beer.
Police say there were two separate heists that day
The beer was stolen in mid-August, the Montclair Police Department said in a press release last month.
Authorities said there were two separate heists on Aug. 17 at the Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, about 35 miles east of Downtown Los Angeles.
The first theft happened at 10 a.m. that day. A shipment worth $45,000 was supposed to be driven more than 450 miles away to Tucson, Arizona. Someone picked up the shipment, but the beer never made it to Tucson, police said.
Then, an hour later, around 11 a.m., a company submitted paperwork to pick up $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch/Pabst Blue Ribbon products. Police said Pabst later learned that the pickup documents were fraudulent.
Investigators said the incidents were similar and may be part of the same cargo-theft heist. The stolen merchandise from both incidents is worth about $70,000 combined, police said.
Pabst is ‘deadly serious’ about getting its stolen beer back
Pabst isn't the only company that has fallen victim to heists recently. In March, thieves in Europe stole a truck that contained more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars. Nestlé, who owns KitKat, said the truck left a production site in central Italy and was eventually supposed to stop in Poland.
"The vehicle and its contents remain unaccounted for, and investigations are ongoing in close collaboration with local authorities and supply chain partners," Nestlé said in a statement to USA TODAY at the time.
As for the missing beer, Pabst has spent the past two weeks trying to get it back. In an Aug. 29 Instagram post, the company said it didn't blame the thieves for wanting the beer.
“We just wish you obtained it the honorable way," the now-edited post reads. The company said it is “deadly serious” about getting its beer back.
Investigators ask that anyone with information call the Montclair Police Department at 909-621-4771.
Pabst Blue Ribbon said those with tips can email hotline@pabst.com or private message the company.
Contributing: Anthony Thompson and Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pabst Blue Ribbon plans to offer cash reward to find stolen beer
