Plant City, Florida, police issued a national alert of interest after a car containing vials of the COVID-19 vaccine was stolen on Wednesday.
About 30 vials were stolen during the theft, totaling about $ 10,000 in vaccine, according to NBC Miami.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the incident occurred around 3 pm at the city’s Strawberry Festival Grounds.
It is not yet clear who owns the car, identified as a gray Hyundai Accent 2018 four-door with the Florida label NPJJ58. The doses were being kept in the vehicle before distribution at the Plant City vaccination center, located on the festival grounds, and were properly refrigerated at the time, reports NBC Miami.
Police did not signal whether the suspect knew that the vaccine doses were in the vehicle before stealing it, but noted that the vehicle keys had been left in the ignition.
Plant City Police have released surveillance footage of the suspect, described as a 20-something man with long hair, and encourage anyone with information about the person’s whereabouts to contact them at 813-757-9200.
Crime Stoppers Tampa Bay issued a reward offer of up to $ 5,000 for information leading to the suspect’s arrest, according to CNN affiliate WKMG.
Florida has administered 2,320,966 doses of vaccine so far, says the state Department of Health.