National boom truck stolen in Columbus, Ohio

On Monday morning March 31, construction crews discovered that a National boom truck was missing from a construction jobsite in Columbus, Ohio. The local police and Franklin County Sheriff’s Department are asking for information from the public on anyone who has seen the crane. It was likely taken over the weekend or in the early morning hours of March 31st, according to news reports.

A 60-ton National Boom Truck was stolen from a jobsite in Columbus, Ohio. PHOTO: Skioto Post

According to WBNS 10 news station, the theft was reported by the Kent Power Company around 8 a.m. at a construction site on Parsons Avenue in Columbus. The crane is a 2019 National boom truck mounted on a Kenworth chassis.

The 60-ton capacity crane is valued at more than $500,000. It was purchased in 2019 for close to $1 million, according to news reports.

“It’s devastating to us to lose a truck that’s $950,000 to replace it,” Joseph Romecki, business unit director for Kent Power, told WBNS 10 News. “They realized the license plate and the GPS unit was removed from the crane. At that point, we realized the crane was stolen.”

The small utility company was in the process of taking down more than 50 lattice towers in the area, Romecki told the news station, and the crane is an important piece of equipment needed to take the towers down.

“We utilize this crane to reach them to safely pick the steel sections down and get them to the ground,” he told WBNS. 

Moving the boom truck is not something anyone could do, which means whoever stole it may have known how to operate it.

Romecki told WBNS that it a Class A CDL license is required to operate this truck, to even drive it down the road. He thought the thief might be someone familiar with the truck. He said it could take two to four weeks to replace the crane and they are hoping to get the stolen crane back as soon as possible.

According tothe Sheriff’s Department facebook post, “Detectives believe the person(s) responsible for the theft would have considerable experience and specialized knowledge of how to operate such equipment. Given its size and value, the 60-ton crane would be difficult to conceal and should be easily recognizable.” 

If you have information about this theft please contact the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at (614) 525-3351. Anonymous tips are welcome.