Police in Plant City, Florida, issued a national alert after a car containing bottles of COVID-19 vaccine was stolen on Wednesday.
About 30 ampoules were stolen during the robbery, worth about $ 10,000 in vaccine, according to NBC Miami.
According to a post on the department’s Facebook page, the incident took place around 3 pm at the Strawberry Festival Grounds in the city.
It is not yet clear who owns the car, identified as a 2018 Hyundai Accent with four doors, gray, with the Florida NPJJ58 label. The doses were kept in the vehicle before distribution at the Plant City Vaccination Center, located on the festival grounds, and were properly refrigerated at the time, NBC Miami reports.
Police did not report whether the suspect knew that the vaccine doses were inside the vehicle before the theft, but noted that the vehicle keys were left in contact.
Plant City police have released surveillance footage of the suspect, described as a 20-year-old man with long hair, and encourages anyone with information about where the person is to contact them at 813-757-9200.
Crime Stoppers Tampa Bay has issued a reward offer of up to $ 5,000 for information that led to the arrest of the suspect, according to CNN affiliate WKMG.
Florida has administered 2,320,966 doses of vaccine to date, according to the state Department of Health.