AUSTIN, Texas — Police have identified a vehicle used to steal a food truck from a southeast Austin parking lot.
Two men stole the Lotz of BBQ trailer from the parking lot of Ghostline Kitchens on Comsouth Drive back on Dec. 26, 2024. Police said the truck was used to latch and haul the food truck trailer before taking off.
Roy Lotz said the food truck was his livelihood and that making it into Austin’s competitive barbecue isn’t easy. It’s even harder for Lotz, who’s a deaf business owner.
“The barbecue business is not high[ly] profitable. It does take a lot of time to invest and save to be where I am today,” Lotz said. “That took a lot of time, blood, sweat and tears.”
Lotz said he worked hard for a decade to save enough money to open his dream barbecue truck. That dream was snatched by two men caught on surveillance video casing the parking lot before returning in a green truck, hitching the trailer, and driving off.
Police said the truck appeared to be a dark green Ford F-150 extended cab model from the early 2000s. Lotz said the ordeal had him at a loss for words.
“I felt so sick to my stomach,” Lotz said. “How is it humane for somebody to do to somebody the day after Christmas? It’s unfortunate and sad for somebody to do something like that.”
It’s not the first time Lotz had to deal with loss. A few days before the food truck was stolen, someone also stole two generators from him. Lotz is now left trying to figure out how to support his family, which includes his 1-year-old son.
“I was just really sad. I can’t describe the feeling I felt because that was everything to me,” Lotz said. “I just felt so violated. They just took something from me within a second.”
After the truck was stolen, Lotz said he had to cancel events that he was relying on for income. He’s trying to figure out how to financially recover from the incident since insurance will only cover the trailer but not the $15,000 worth of equipment and cookware in it.
“I’m going to have to save up and do it all over again,” Lotz said. “I have no choice.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Lotz and his family. In the meantime, police ask anyone with information to contact their Auto Theft unit at 512-974-5265.
“Bring it back. That would be the greatest thing you could do for me and my family,” Lotz said. “I don’t like how I feel right now and how they made me feel, but these guys are not going to ruin my dream.”