SPANISH FORT, Ala. (WKRG)– On July 19, Spanish Fort Police were called to investigate after a resident’s car was broken into. The victim told police that thousands of dollars in cash was stolen.
As police investigated, they found the victim had been followed from a nearby bank after getting money out, to his home in a neighborhood off of Highway 225. The victim said he went into his home for less than five minutes and when we walked back to his vehicle, the cash was gone. Investigators are calling this trend “bank jugging.”
“What bank jugging is, what we learned is the criminal sits in the parking lot of a bank, they surveil the people coming in and out and they chose their victim as having a high chance of having a large amount of cash on them,” said Sgt. Steven Mooney with the Spanish Fort Department.
According to the SFPD, bank jugging is not just a trend in our area but it’s becoming a common trend all across the country. Mooney said that they are seeing a lot of “bank jugging” reports across the panhandle but the biggest spot for bank hugging right now is in Texas.
“If you’re going anywhere, not just to the bank, just be aware of your surroundings, especially people sitting in this case for banks, be aware for people sitting in their vehicles for extended amounts of time, if you go in the bank and you’re in there several minutes and come out and they’re still sitting out there just take notice of them,” said Sgt. Mooney.
Spanish Fort Police said that this case is still under investigation and also said if you suspect something is not right, always call your local police station.
