Cargo thieves ram security escorts to hijack AI hardware shipments in California — brazen thieves employ PIT maneuver, rear-ending tactics to secure goods for the black market
Cargo thieves knocked two private security escort vehicles out of action on California roads in recent months, then made off with millions of dollars in AI data center hardware.
Two shipments of AI data center hardware were stolen in California by thieves who deliberately damaged the security vehicles escorting them, according to a WIRED investigation. The valuable equipment was being transported from Silicon Valley to Southern California when the two incidents occurred, and neither vehicle has been recovered.
The crimes have intensified as cargo theft losses across the U.S. and Canada doubled from the previous year, reaching $304.6 million in the second quarter of 2026. The attackers used aggressive tactics, such as a rear-end collision and a PIT maneuver, to disable the escort vehicles before fleeing with the shipments. Investigators suspect that the truck drivers involved were complicit in the thefts, as the motor carrier numbers used in the crimes had recently changed hands.
The stolen hardware, which includes Nvidia servers, can fetch higher prices on the black market, especially in countries with stricter export controls.
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