BROWNSVILLE – Federal investigators say the number of heavy duty pick-up trucks being stolen from the Rio Grande Valley is increasing.

In 2017, nearly 1,800 vehicles were stolen from five of the larger cities in the Valley.

Experts say we’re on track to see more thefts this year.

KRGV’s Trason Bragg spoke with a local rancher whose Ford F-350 King Ranch pick-up was stolen on Thursday.

The incident was caught on camera, which he had just installed three months prior. Brownsville investigators found his truck within 12 hours.

“You’re experiencing a spike in thefts of pick-ups, you know, three-quarter or full or one-ton pick-ups. We see that in our data,” says Frank Scafidi, Director of Public Affairs at the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

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