JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Unpatriotic thieves are making the holiday hard for one Middleburg mother after nearly $30,000 worth of fireworks were stolen from a temporary stand in the Walmart parking lot on Baymeadows Road.
Jacksonville Police are investigating the theft and reviewing Walmart security footage after suspects allegedly cut through heavy-duty locks around 6 a.m.
They made off with about $28,000 worth of fireworks.
The stand’s operator, Juana Hovious, says she and her best friend took time off from their jobs as hairstylists to sell fireworks in hopes of earning extra money.
They received their first shipment Thursday, only to discover it had been stolen by Friday morning.
“It’s just hard because it’s like you were wanting so much and expecting so much. And then this happens and it’s just devastating,” Hovious said.
She said her “heart just dropped” when she noticed the lock was missing. “I walked over to our box and I noticed the lock was missing. And my heart just dropped because I knew right then that something had happened. Then I opened up the Connex box and it was just all gone,” she said.
Investigators tell Hovious the suspects may have made two trips in an SUV to haul away the fireworks.
“They actually made two trips to come get all of it. There was an SUV and a couple people. So, they have that information. But other than that, I don’t know what else to do. You just want to laugh, you want to cry, you don’t know,” Hovious said.
Hovious operates the stand through TNT Fireworks, which contracts with local operators to run seasonal tents.
Company policy states operators may be financially responsible for stolen, damaged, or lost inventory unless a contract shifts that responsibility to TNT or insurance covers the loss.
Hovious believes the stolen fireworks could end up being resold. “I would imagine with that much money in fireworks, they would have to be selling them. Either that or they’re going to have one heck of a Fourth of July party,” she said.
Police are asking anyone with information about the theft to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
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