Overview
- BNSF workers reported people loading merchandise from a stopped train near Meteor Crater on May 29, prompting detectives and federal agents to respond.
- Investigators stopped a van leaving the scene and arrested Jaime Beltran-Bojorquez and Gerardo Mares Vazquez while a box truck later crashed near Williams and two occupants ran and remain at large.
- Authorities recovered more than $500,000 in stolen property from the vehicles during the investigation.
- Officials say remote locations and coordinated crews that transfer goods into vans and box trucks make these thefts hard to detect and catch in real time.
- The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office is working with BNSF and federal partners, asking the public for tips and exploring a dedicated Northern Arizona railway task force to address an areawide pattern of about eight to 12 thefts a month.