Police track down stolen truck by following thoughtless thief's giveaway trail
From the outset, there was nothing subtle about this crime.
It was the boldest of plans, to steal a big rig from a Sydney holding yard and hide it on a private property 18 kilometres away.
But what the thieves didn't seem to realise is they'd left the ultimate trail of crumbs for police to follow - diesel spilling from a ruptured fuel tank.
Security vision captures a man walking slowly into the truck yard so no-one can hear him - but he seems unaware that cameras can still see him.
The thief makes away with a green Mercedes prime mover, smashing through two fences to make his getaway.
Once out on the open road, a support vehicle follows, but neither are aware they are leaving a trail of evidence behind them as diesel pours out of the fuel tank.
The truck was stolen from a business on Alfred Road at roughly 12.30am on Friday morning.
With fuel gushing out, it makes the 18 kilometre journey from Chipping Norton to Macquarie Fields, where the thieves try to conceal it underneath a tarpaulin that's just a little too small for a truck this big.
Owners were baffled as to how they got in – until detectives stumbled across a breach in the fence big enough for someone to crawl through.
Police are yet to make an arrest but suspect it won't take long, as the thieves used their own backyard to hide their stolen loot.
