A person who withdrew cash from a Fontana bank said he was followed by people to a gas station, where they broke into his car and fled with the money – one of the latest examples of what authorities say is the growing crime of “bank jugging.”
The crime is so named, according to various reports, because people carry large sums of money like it is in a jug. Others have called the term a play on the word “mugging.” Thieves witness the victim withdrawing money from ATMs or inside a bank, follow them to their homes or other locations, then steal the cash.
In the case of the Fontana theft on July 9, the victim told investigators that he had withdrawn an unspecified, but large, amount of cash from the Wells Fargo branch in the 11200 block of Sierra Avenue. The man drove to a nearby Chevron station, parked at a gas pump and walked toward the business’s doors, said Officer Daniel Romero, a Police Department spokesman.
“While he was away from his vehicle, a late-model black Hyundai Tucson pulled up next to it. A tall, slender male adult exited the front passenger seat of the Hyundai, smashed the victim’s window, and stole the cash,” Romero said in an email.
The victim heard the window breaking and ran back to his car, but by then, the thief had returned to the Hyundai and fled north on Sierra driven by a woman, Romero said. The car had a fake paper license plate, he said.
Romero asked anyone with information on the case to call 909-350-7740.
“It is a classic case of jugging,” Romero said. While the crime is not new – members of an alleged ring were arrested in Southern California in 2019 – it is “an escalating criminal activity,” he said.
Law enforcement agencies nationwide, including the FBI, have warned the public about jugging.
Romero offered these safety tips:
• Be aware of people lingering without purpose near banks.
• Refrain from using your phone or wearing earbuds to avoid distractions while inside a bank.
• Put your cash in a nondescript bag, such as a briefcase or purse, instead of the small cash envelopes or bags often provided.
• Lock your car doors before driving away.
• Don’t leave money unattended in your car.
• Watch for any cars that might be tailing you. If you believe you are being followed, call 911 or drive straight to the nearest police station.
