$6,800 stolen in ‘jugging’ incident outside Berry Hill restaurant
BERRY HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — Thieves reportedly followed a local man from his bank and then stole thousands of dollars from his truck last week. The Berry Hill Police Department called this a growing crime trend known as “jugging.”
On Thursday, May 9, authorities said two men had just stopped for lunch at a popular Thompson Lane restaurant, not realizing two others had just followed them from their bank on Nolensville Road, where the men had withdrawn a large amount of cash.
On Sgt. Tony Russo’s body camera, you hear him approach the two men by their work truck.
“How long you guys been sitting here?” Russo asked.
“Like 20, 30 minutes,” one of the men replied.
Franklin police share safety tips amid uptick in ‘bank jugging’ cases
The minute the victim described the crime, the veteran officer knew what had happened.
“Before I come here, I go to the bank,” the victim said.
“They followed you?” Russo responded.
“They followed me,” the victim stated.
The Berry Hill sergeant recognized it as another case of jugging.
“What jugging is is basically when a suspect follows a victim from a bank or ATM; follows them to their next location, like a restaurant, a bar, or a gas station; waits for them to get out of the vehicle; knows if there’s money in that vehicle because they followed them from that ATM or bank; breaks into that car; takes their money; and gets off with it,” Russo explained.
CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee
According to Russo, there have been four jugging cases in Berry Hill in the last four months.
In last week’s case, he said the suspects watched the work crew exit a nearby bank on Nolensville Road and followed the victims to the popular Berry Hill lunch spot. Then, when the men left their truck, one of the thieves reportedly got out of their silver Nissan Rogue, broke the glass on the passenger side of the truck, reached through the window, and helped themselves to the bank bag inside containing $6,800.
When the sergeant asked the victim if he noticed anybody following him, the victim said, “No, I don’t see nobody follow me, because when I park here, I stay maybe one or two minutes and I don’t see nobody.”
“We’ve had these incidents before where if they don’t get the money out of the car, they follow you to the next spot and they’ll mug you for it, use violence against you to do that,” Russo added.
(Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN) (Photo: WKRN)
“It’s a pretty big thing now, following people,” Russo said in the body cam footage. “I mean, it’s smart on their end…I wish we could tell people not to do it.”
“So this is not the first time in this area?” the victim asked.
“Not the first time, won’t be the last time,” the sergeant replied.
So, how do you protect yourself from jugging? It’s difficult, but Russo recommends making sure you’re not being followed or watched when you leave a bank or ATM. In addition, authorities encourage you not to carry large amounts of cash and to use any number of cash apps instead.
If you recognize the Nissan Rogue or the suspect from the photographs above, you are asked to call the Berry Hill Police Department at 615-297-4701.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
