U Of M Student's Trailer, $35,000 Of Equipment Inside, Stolen During Nicollet Mall Riots
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A University of Minnesota student is out thousands of dollars after his work equipment was stolen the night of the riots in downtown Minneapolis.
The trailer, filled with over $35,000 worth of equipment, was stolen from Jake Schroeder's college campus front yard Wednesday night when he left campus for about an hour around 11 p.m., double locking the trailer and hitch up before leaving.
"I came back and the trailer was missing from my place here and I just couldn't believe it was gone," Schroeder said.
Schroeder is a 4th year dental student at the U of M, but on the side he had a striping business, which he used the trailer and all the equipment inside of it for striping parking lots and pavers around the Twin Cities.
He used all the money he made from this striping business to fully fund his dental school education.
"As a small business owner that pretty much eats up everything I have at this point," Schroeder said.
Wednesday night was the same night as the riots along Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis.
"It helped whoever did steal it get away much easier because the roads were shut down at the time the curfew was going on, I was able to travel because of work, but cops were preoccupied," Schroeder said.
WCCO reached out to Minneapolis police who say the assistance from state patrol and the Minnesota National Guard, prevented them from having to take law enforcement resources away from other precincts that night.
An MPD spokesperson said they learned from the riots back in May that crime will increase if they focus all their resources to one area.
Schroeder filed a police report for the stolen trailer.
He put a "Schroeder Striping" decal on it, so if you've spotted the trailer, you're asked to call Minneapolis police at 612-673-3000.
MPD did clarify that none of the rioting on Wednesday night trickled into Dinkytown or onto the U of M campus.