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Pabst Blue Ribbon asks thieves to return 40,000 pounds of stolen beer
Thieves stole tens of thousands of cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer in two heists from an Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California. Police are investigating whether the incidents are connected. The beer maker has turned to social media, offering a reward and a deadline for the beer's return.
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Pabst Blue Ribbon asks thieves to return 40,000 pounds of stolen beer
The Pabst Brewing Company has turned to social media to ask thieves to return approximately 40,000 pounds of its Blue Ribbon beer stolen in two heists from a distribution center in Montclair, California. The company has offered a reward for help locating the beer and set a deadline for its return, according to multiple reports.
The thefts occurred on August 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center. In the first incident, a shipment worth about $45,000 headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never arrived at its destination, police said. About an hour later, thieves using false documentation made off with a second shipment worth about $25,000 destined for San Diego. Authorities for Anheuser-Busch said they are investigating whether the two thefts were part of a single scheme.
In a statement, Montclair Police said investigators identified similarities between the two incidentsvis, noting discrepancies in information provided about the trucking company, driver, and vehicles involved.
The stolen beer totals about 34,000 cans. Pabst has taken to social media to ask for the beer's return, posting on Instagram: "To the thief: we don't fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way." The company said it would give the thieves 18 days and 44 minutes to return the beer, "no questions asked."
Paul Meyers, senior director of Integration Marketing at Pabst, told the Los Angeles Times the company has had a great response so far. Pabst is offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of the beer.
The thefts have drawn attention because of the unusually large quantity of beer taken and the company's creative approach to recovering it. The investigation continues.
How each outlet told it
A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the police investigation and the theft of Pabst beer, focusing on the criminal aspect rather than the company's promotional response. — The tone is measured and factual, with a slight touch of irony in presenting the company's lighthearted response to a serious crime.
Facts Included:
Thieves made off with tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer in two separate heists from a Southern California warehouse on the same day, police said.
Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the thefts — valued by police at $70,000 — into a light social media promotion.
Police in Montclair said Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether the thefts were part of a single operation.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered, according to police.
An hour later, a 'purported subcontracting company' submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, Montclair police said in a news release.
Both thefts occurred on Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer — more than 1,500 cases — were stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In Instagram posts, Pabst put the weight of the stolen cargo at 40,000 pounds (18,145 kilograms) and started a countdown seeking its return.
The company wrote: 'To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way.'
It added, 'this is real and we are deadly serious.'
Framing: Focuses on the reward offer, highlighting the company's response to the theft.
Framing: The headline emphasizes the company's action of offering a reward for the safe return of the stolen beer, focusing on the company's response rather than the theft itself. — The tone is neutral and factual, reporting the events without emotional language, though it includes direct quotes from the company and police.
Facts Included:
Pabst Brewing Company has turned to social media for help locating thousands of cans of its Blue Ribbon beer taken from a distribution centre.
The alleged thief presented false documentation at an Anheuser-Busch distribution centre in Montclair.
The shipment was worth $25,000 (£18,500) and had been destined for San Diego.
Pabst says it is offering a reward for help finding the 40,000lbs (18,144kg) of beer.
It was the second theft on the same day from the same distribution centre, Montclair Police said.
Police are investigating whether they were committed as part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft scheme.
In the first incident, a shipment worth $45,000 (£33,000) headed for Tucson, Arizona, was picked up on 17 August but had not arrived.
Police say thieves used fraudulent documents to pick up the Pabst Blue Ribbon.
A spokesperson told CBS News, the BBC's US partner: 'What we discovered was it was just a bad actor essentially who came in and pretended to be the person who was supposed to pick up the beer.'
The company's social media post included a message to the thief: 'Pabst is officially starting the clock now - you have exactly 18 days and 44 minutes to return our truckload of beer, no questions asked.'
The number 1844 is a nod to the company's year of founding.
The company is offering an unspecified reward for the return of the shipment.
Framing: Headline emphasizes the large dollar value of the stolen beer and uses a pun to frame it as a notable but somewhat amusing crime. — Light-hearted and playful, reflecting the company's social media promotion.
Facts Included:
Thieves stole tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer in two separate heists from a Southern California warehouse on the same day, police said.
Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the thefts — valued by police at $70,000 — into a light-hearted social media promotion.
Police in Montclair said Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether they were part of a single operation.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered, according to police.
An hour later, a 'purported subcontracting company' submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, Montclair police said in a news release.
Both thefts occurred on Aug. 17 at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Los Angeles.
Roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer — more than 1,500 cases — were stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In Instagram posts, Pabst put the weight of the stolen cargo at 40,000 pounds (18,145 kilograms) and started a countdown seeking its return.
The company wrote: 'To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way.'
It added, s. this is real and we are deadly serious.
Framing: The tone is lighthearted and playful, especially in the company's social media posts, while the police statements are factual.
Facts Included:
The Pabst Brewing Company is asking the public for help after more than 40,000 pounds of beer was stolen.
Montclair Police said they are investigating two cargo thefts from the Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California.
At least one theft involved a truckload of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
The first incident happened about 10 a.m. on Aug. 17.
A shipment worth about $45,000 was picked up but never arrived at its destination.
The second incident happened one hour after the first when about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers was picked up by a purported subcontracting company using fake documents.
Investigators said there were similarities between the two incidents and they may have been connected.
Pabst has taken to social media, saying that 40,000 pounds of its beer was stolen.
That is a total of 33,984 cans, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Pabst offered 18 days and 44 minutes for the thieves to return the beer.
The company is also offering a reward for help solving the theft.
Paul Meyers, senior director of Integration Marketing at Pabst, said the response has been great and the company wants the beer back.
Framing: The tone is lighthearted and playful, especially in the company's social media posts, while the police statements are factual.
Facts Included:
The Pabst Brewing Company is asking the public for help after more than 40,000 pounds of beer was stolen.
Montclair Police said they are investigating two cargo thefts from the Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California.
At least one theft involved a truckload of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
The first incident happened about 10 a.m. on Aug. 17.
A shipment worth about $45,000 was picked up but never arrived at its destination.
The second incident happened one hour after the first when about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers was picked up by a purported subcontracting company using fake documents.
Investigators said there were similarities between the two incidents and they may have been connected.
Pabst has taken to social media, saying that 40,000 pounds of its beer was stolen.
That is a total of 33,984 cans, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Pabst offered 18 days and 44 minutes for the thieves to return the beer.
The company is also offering a reward for help solving the theft.
Paul Meyers, senior director of Integration Marketing at Pabst, said the response has been great and the company wants the beer back.
Framing: The headline emphasizes Pabst's request for the return of the stolen beer, focusing on the plea to thieves rather than the theft itself. — The tone is lighthearted and playful, especially in the company's social media posts, while the police statements are factual.
Facts Included:
The Pabst Brewing Company is asking the public for help after more than 40,000 pounds of beer was stolen.
Montclair Police said they are investigating two cargo thefts from the Anheuser-Busch distribution center in Montclair, California.
At least one theft involved a truckload of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
The first incident happened about 10 a.m. on Aug. 17.
A shipment worth about $45,000 was picked up but never arrived at its destination.
The second incident happened one hour after the first when about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers was picked up by a purported subcontracting company using fake documents.
Investigators said there were similarities between the two incidents and they may have been connected.
Pabst has taken to social media, saying that 40,000 pounds of its beer was stolen.
That is a total of 33,984 cans, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Pabst offered 18 days and 44 minutes for the thieves to return the beer.
The company is also offering a reward for help solving the theft.
Paul Meyers, senior director of Integration Marketing at Pabst, said the response has been great and the company wants the beer back.
Framing: Emphasizes the quantity of stolen beer and the unusual nature of the crime, using playful words like 'heists'. — Lighthearted and playful, reflecting the company's promotional approach.
Facts Included:
Thieves made off with tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer in two separate heists from a southern California warehouse on the same day, police said.
Pabst Blue Ribbon has turned the thefts – valued by police at $70,000 – into a lighthearted social media promotion.
Police in Montclair said Friday that investigators are trying to determine whether they were part of a single crime.
In the first heist, about $45,000 worth of beer headed to Tucson, Arizona, was picked up but never delivered, according to police.
An hour later, a “purported subcontracting company” submitted fake documents to pick up another $25,000 worth of beer, Montclair police said in a news release.
Both thefts occurred on 17 August at an Anheuser-Busch distribution center about 40 miles (65 km) east of Los Angeles.
Roughly 34,000 cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and non-alcoholic Old Milwaukee beer – more than 1,500 cases – were stolen, according to a police report obtained by the Los Angeles Times.
In Instagram posts, Pabst put the weight of the stolen cargo at 40,000 pounds (18,145 kg) and started a countdown seeking its return.
The company wrote: “To the thief: we don’t fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way.”
It added, “this is real and we are deadly serious.”
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Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.
Claim
Confidence
Status
ClaimThe Pabst Brewing Company is asking the public for help after more than 40,000 pounds of beer was stolen.
ClaimThe second theft involved about $25,000 worth of Anheuser-Busch and Pabst Blue Ribbon beers, picked up by a purported subcontracting company using fake documents.