HOUSTON – Copper wire thieves were caught in the act in Houston’s Northside neighborhood early Sunday morning before many AT&T customers lost internet service.
There’s been an alarming rise of these important communications cables being cut all over the country.
Video shared with KPRC 2 shows several hooded men in a black truck cutting the wires and loading them in the back of the truck.
“Look what they’re doing! They cut it,” a woman who took the video said. “Call the cops! Somebody call the cops!”
Many of the neighbors stepped outside and confronted the thieves who didn’t seem fazed.
“(They) told the homeowner to wait, they’ll be through in a minute with cutting the cable to take it,” neighbor David Cortez said. "Like they were workers."
As one of the guys stumbled back into the truck, the driver quickly sped away and video captured most if not all of the stolen materials falling out.
“They were real brave and brazen,” Cortez said. “There’s thieves everywhere. Doesn’t matter what time they strike, they never sleep.”
Neighbors first saw them climbing a tree before the wires crashed to the ground.
A pole holding the thick, heavy wires snapped and crashed into a fence and carport, which both had damage.
The wires were down for about two blocks, which apparently caused an AT&T internet outage in the neighborhood. Customers have been told it could be a couple days before it comes back on.
“I think they’ve done it probably multiple times already,” Cortez’s wife Jeannie said, noting that they were pretty organized about it.
Last year, Houston saw at least a 17% jump in cable lines cut by thieves looking for copper, hoping to recycle it and cash in.
And it’s not just happening here. A new report to the Fort Worth City Council shows that there’s been a 545% spike in AT&T cable thefts over the last two years there.
“It’s impacting the infrastructure. It impacts the people’s ability to call 911,” HPD Sgt. Robert Carson said during a press conference on the issue last year. “It’s affecting everyone.”
There’s still a lot of work left to be done by crews before all of the repairs are made.
If you recognize the men in the video or the vehicle, call HPD.
AT&T released a statement on the incident:
We’re working to restore internet service to customers affected by an attempted copper theft in Houston’s Northside neighborhood. Theft and vandalism of critical communications infrastructure are serious matters that disrupt essential services for our customers, public safety and the community at large. We understand how essential these services are and appreciate the patience of our customers.
We are working with the Texas Legislature to pass stiffer penalties and give police and prosecutors stronger tools for addressing copper theft and associated fiber vandalism.
