Police Investigating "Wild West" Style Burglary of 112 Patriot Power Generator Units
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 14, 2025 - Local and railway police are investigating the brazen theft of more than 100 of 4Patriots' newest solar-powered generators after crooks broke into a railcar and made off with the merchandise before it could launch on the company’s website.
“It’s like something out of a Wild West movie,” said Matthew Green, Director of Supply Chain at 4Patriots, a company that helps people prepare for emergencies and which makes the solar generators. “Except this time instead of gold and silver, the thieves stole life-saving generators that folks could’ve used in the next storm or blackout.”
Locust Grove, GA and Norfolk Southern Railway police are investigating the theft of the Patriot Power Generator 1200 units, which were discovered missing upon the truck’s arrival on Jan. 31 at the Ryder System, Inc. facility near Atlanta. The container had been broken into, the seal had been replaced, and 112 of the 1,026 generators were missing.
[Actual Footage] Thanks to crooks, there are even fewer generators to go around...
Amanda T. Staten is the Manager of Logistics with RyderShip™. She said, “When the container arrived at the warehouse, our team broke the CSX Transportation seal to find that the container had been tampered with and generators were removed.”
“The driver stated that there was no seal on the container when he arrived at the railyard to obtain the load. He took pictures of the container without the seal and advised CSX of this as well.”
Staten said that a CSX representative opened the container doors, took pictures, issued another seal, and sent the driver on his way. The Locust Grove Police Department partnered with Agent Vaughn of the Norfolk Southern Railway police, who is investigating the case.
As of Feb. 14, no leads regarding the investigation have been announced to the media or the public. Ryder is also conducting its own investigation into the loss, estimated at $168,000.
“I want to assure 4Patriots customers that we are doing everything possible to help track down the missing generators, ” Green said. “We made a limited number. There will be some disappointed people who’d been looking forward to this new unit, and who now can’t get one.”
Green said, “The Locust Grove police department and Norfolk Southern are involved and investigating. I’d like to thank Ms. Staten at Ryder for her commitment to getting to the bottom of what occurred. We’re confident that justice will prevail.”
The Patriot Power Generator 1200 is the latest in a series of solar-powered generators from 4Patriots. Also known as “America’s Sweetheart Solar Generator,” the 1200 is a portable, powerful, silent, and fume-free backup power station that’s safe to use inside a home. It powers small appliances in a blackout — even a fridge.
“These criminals seemed to know exactly what they were after,” said Allen Baler, Co-Founder and CEO of 4Patriots. “The brand-new Patriot Power Generator 1200 is one of the most lightweight and powerful backup-power solutions to hit the market. It’s no surprise that someone would go to extreme lengths to get their hands on them.”
“We won’t let this brazen crime stop us from delivering these generators to our loyal customers. We are doing everything possible to make more and to ship them out as fast as possible. We had a limited supply, and now we have even less, so unfortunately some folks may miss out. We appreciate your patience as we deal with this shocking situation.”
Anyone with information or tips that could help lead investigators to the apprehension of the thieves should contact 4Patriots at help@4patriots.com. Your confidentiality is ensured.
UPDATE: A $10,000.00 reward has been posted for information leading to the arrest of the people responsible for the stolen solar generators. Read more here >>
About 4Patriots
4Patriots, is a direct-to-consumer emergency preparedness brand committed to offering innovative products necessary for Americans to prepare for any emergency and become more self-reliant and independent. Founded in 2008 by Erin Baler and Allen Baler as a common-sense, apolitical resource for families wanting to be prepared for everyday and crisis situations, the Nashville company has grown its product line, customer base and profile to become one of the country’s leading and fastest-growing proponents of responsible self-reliance.
4Patriots ships its products from Utah and Georgia, supports a host of veterans organizations, and offers a 100% money-back guarantee for a full year on most products. For more information, please visit https://4Patriots.com.