COLTON, CA — Police in Colton arrested a man early Thursday after they say he was tied to a freight train burglary involving an unusual haul: hundreds of boxes of Hot Wheels toy cars worth about $54,000.
Officers responded around 3 a.m. to reports of a train burglary near Mason Street, according to the Colton Police Department. A caller in video posted by police said thieves were “robbing the trains” near the end of Maple Street.
Police said an officer later spotted a man in a black Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck near 7th Street and La Cadena Drive. The officer followed the vehicle, stopped it, and took the driver into custody.
Police say the suspected theft started with a freight train burglary
The Colton Police Department said the case began with a call about suspicious activity near the railroad tracks in the city. The video posted by police shows dispatchers hearing a report of people stealing from trains in the area.
Authorities have not said exactly how the break-in happened or how many people may have been involved. They also have not said whether the train was stopped when the theft occurred or whether anyone else was being sought.
What police did say is that the burglary led to a large recovery of merchandise tied to the reported theft. The department described the case as a train burglary and treated it as a theft investigation from the start.
Officers recovered 350 boxes of Hot Wheels toys
After stopping the pickup truck, officers recovered 350 boxes of Hot Wheels toy cars, police said. The department estimated the value of the merchandise at about $54,000.
The recovery gave the case a strange twist because the items were not electronics, jewelry, or other high-value cargo often associated with freight theft. Instead, the alleged cargo was a large shipment of collectible toy cars.
Police did not say whether the boxes were intact, whether they had been opened, or where exactly the merchandise was being transported. The department also did not provide details about where the toys were headed before the burglary.
Suspect booked on burglary and stolen-property charges
Police said the driver was booked into West Valley Detention Center on suspicion of burglary, possession of stolen property and grand theft. No name was released.
The department did not provide the man’s age or hometown, and it did not say whether prosecutors had filed charges by Thursday. Officials also did not say whether the suspect had retained an attorney.
Because the arrest came during an active police response, the case appears to have developed quickly after the initial call. The department has not announced any additional arrests or identified other suspects.
A viral police joke turned a theft case into a punchline
The department leaned into the oddity of the arrest in a Facebook post, writing, “His wheels weren’t hot enough to get away!” It also paired the comment with the recovery of the toy cars.
That wordplay matched the unusual nature of the case, which involved a theft from a freight train rather than a more typical burglary target. The post drew attention because the stolen items were Hot Wheels, a brand long associated with toy car collections and childhood play.
Even with the light tone, police described a serious property crime. The investigation centered on a sizable cargo theft, and the department said the recovered merchandise was valued in the tens of thousands of dollars.
What Colton police have and have not said so far
The Colton Police Department has given only a limited account of the investigation. It confirmed the arrest, the recovered boxes of toys, the suspected offenses and the detention center where the man was booked.
Police have not identified the driver, said whether the pickup truck was connected to the train burglary before the stop, or explained how the theft was discovered beyond the initial call. They also have not said whether the freight company or rail operator suffered any broader disruption.
For now, the case stands as a fast-moving theft investigation with a memorable cargo and a quick recovery. The department’s statements indicate the inquiry is still active, with details still being sorted out by investigators.
