Police in Plant City, Florida, have issued a nationwide alert of interest after a car containing COVID-19 vaccine vials was stolen on Wednesday.
According to NBC Miami, about 30 vials were stolen during the robbery, worth about $ 10,000 in vaccine.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the incident occurred around 3pm at the strawberry party venue.
It is still unclear who owns the car, identified as a 2018 four-door Hyundai Accent, gray, with a NPJJ58 Florida tag. Doses were kept in the vehicle before being distributed at the Plant City Vaccination Center, located on the festival grounds, and properly refrigerated at the time, NBC Miami reports.
Police did not indicate whether the suspect knew the doses of vaccine were inside the vehicle before it was stolen, but they noted that the vehicle keys had been left in contact.
Plant city police released surveillance footage of the suspect, described as a man in his twenties with long hair, and encouraged anyone with information about the person’s whereabouts to contact them at 813-757-9200.
Crime Stoppers, Tampa Bay, has released a reward offer of up to $ 5,000 for information leading to the arrest of the suspect, according to CNN affiliate WKMG.
Florida has so far administered 2,320,966 doses of vaccine, according to the state Department of Health.