Reward offered for 40,000 pounds of Pabst beer and truck stolen out of Montclair

A Pabst Blue Ribbon beer truck, loaded with beer, was stolen from the company's Montclair distribution center and Pabst said it will pay out the cash equivalent of half the value of the beer if it's all safely returned.

Paul Myers, the senior director of integrated marketing operations for Pabst, said ultimately, they just want their truck back.

He said about 40,000 pounds of beer was in the stolen truck, 1,400 cases of PBR and about 200 cases of Old Milwaukee Non Alcoholic, and it was headed for delivery in San Diego.

"And what we discovered was it was just a bad actor essentially who came in and pretended to be the person who was supposed to pick up the beer. It wasn't the person who was supposed to pick up the beer, and then they drove off with it," Myers said.

The Montclair Police Department is investigating two separate but similar cargo thefts that happened at the Anheuser-Busch distribution center on the same day, on Aug. 17.

Around 10 a.m., the first shipment, valued at about $45,000, intended for Tucson, Arizona, was picked up for delivery but never arrived at its destination, police said.

One hour later, approximately $25,000 worth of PBR was secured after an alleged subcontracting company submitted fraudulent documentation to arrange the pickup.

Investigators are working to determine if the two incidents are part of the same fraudulent cargo-theft operation.

"We don't fault you for wanting to brag to your friends how much PBR you have, we just wish you obtained it the honorable way," Pabst Blue Ribbon wrote on Instagram.

Anyone with information regarding the incidents, vehicles, driver, delivery company, or missing cargo is encouraged to contact the Montclair Police Department at (909) 621-4771.