Shoes and Lego Sets Found in Separate Desert Cases
Barstow, Calif. (High Desert News Online) — San Bernardino County Sheriff’s deputies and BNSF Railway Police have recovered about $151,000 worth of running shoes and Lego sets in two separate cargo theft cases along railroad routes east of Barstow, adding to a pattern of freight train burglaries in the Mojave Desert and across the West.
The two recoveries occurred in close proximity and included merchandise removed from BNSF freight trains and subsequently left in vehicles near or on National Trails Highway.
The larger of the two recoveries consisted of about $123,000 worth of Brooks running shoes found in two abandoned vehicles following an emergency stop made by a BNSF freight train in the Ludlow area. The second recovery included 123 boxes of McLaren Formula 1 Lego sets worth approximately $30,000, which were discovered in an abandoned van in Newberry Springs on Monday, Aug. 17.
While neither recovery is one of the largest cargo theft cases in recent years, the timing and location of the cases illustrate the importance of freight theft as a law enforcement and supply chain security issue in the High Desert.
Over $123,000 in Brooks running shoes recovered
In the more recent case, BNSF Railway Police asked for assistance from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department after one of the company’s freight trains made an emergency stop in the Ludlow area.
Several vehicles were seen near the stopped train in circumstances deemed suspicious by BNSF officials.
Deputies from the Barstow Sheriff’s Station were dispatched to the area along National Trails Highway between Daggett and Ludlow, and en route to the train, found two abandoned vehicles that matched the description of the vehicles involved in the incident.
A large number of boxes were seen inside the vehicles.
BNSF Railway Police inspected the merchandise and determined the boxes came from the freight train. The merchandise that was recovered consists of Brooks running shoes, and was valued at over $123,000.
At this point, it is unclear whether authorities can explain how the railcar was accessed, how the train made an emergency stop, or what happened to the persons in the vehicles before deputies found them.
The investigation is ongoing at this time.
However, the circumstances are similar to those seen in other train cargo burglaries in remote locations in California and Arizona. In such instances, perpetrators have been seen boarding trains, targeting expensive merchandise and using vehicles to remove the merchandise.
Sometimes, in the Southwest, authorities have accused the perpetrators of damaging air-brake equipment or railroad infrastructure in order to make trains stop in remote locations.
Authorities have not specified whether these tactics have been used in the Brooks shoe case.
Lego sets recovered five days earlier
The Brooks shoes recovery came after another unusual discovery in Newberry Springs.
At about 11:30 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, a Barstow Station deputy was checking an abandoned van near National Trails Highway and Pioneer Road, and noticed a large number of boxes inside the vehicle.
Because of recent activity of cargo train theft in the area, the deputy called in BNSF Railway Police to investigate the discovery.
It was determined that the van contained 123 boxes of McLaren F1 Lego sets that have been stolen in a boxcar burglary. Each set costs about $230, putting the total retail value of the recovered merchandise at about $28,290, which is nearly $30,000 worth of Lego products.
No arrests were announced in connection with the Lego sets recovery.
Combined, the Brooks merchandise and Lego sets added up to about $151,000 worth of recovered merchandise.
Second major recovery in Newberry Springs this year
The Lego discovery is not the first major recovery in Newberry Springs in 2025.
On June 16, deputies near railroad tracks on National Trails Highway and Minneola Road found about 10 people loading merchandise into a box truck.
The suspects fled into the desert upon seeing deputies.
The box truck driver tried to flee, but he eventually jumped out of the moving vehicle. The unmanned box truck drove further and ended up hitting a berm.
Inside the box truck, deputies found merchandise valued at approximately $100,000 consisting of JBL speakers and headphones that were recently stolen from a freight train, according to authorities.
These three cases and others have drawn attention to the long railroad stretches in the sparse desert regions.
National Trails Highway runs parallel to, or close to, the key stretches of railroad east of Barstow in communities like Daggett, Newberry Springs, and Ludlow.
The same geography that is crucial for the transportation has created difficulties for law enforcement since it is difficult for the deputies to patrol large areas of desert.
Cargo theft is a national problem
What happens near Barstow is part of a larger issue.
According to the Association of American Railroads, major U.S. railroads have experienced over 75,000 cargo theft incidents in 2025, with losses exceeding $200 million.
Losses increased by more than 50% in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to railroad industry preliminary figures.
The Association of American Railroads calls modern freight theft a well-organized criminal enterprise rather than opportunistic thefts. Criminal organizations operate in different jurisdictions, quickly transfer the stolen merchandise to another transport vehicle and get rid of it in the market.
Railroads have reacted by deploying more cameras, monitoring technology, security patrols, railroad infrastructure protection, and cooperation with law enforcement agencies.
This problem was already increasing rapidly prior to 2025.
Railroad industry estimates put the number of theft incidents involving major railroads in 2024 above 65,000, about 40% more than in the previous year. The losses to the largest railroads have exceeded $100 million that year.
According to the Association of American Railroads, only one out of ten attempts of freight theft results in arrest.
