Copper Thief Steals Street Light Wiring From Florida i-95 Roadways

Drivers who make it a habit of traveling down Florida’s I-95 interstate may have noticed lately that their late night commutes seem a bit darker than they have in the past, not to mention far more dangerous. That new darkness is attributed to a copper thief who has stolen copper wiring from numerous light poles in the area.

Meredith Cruz of the Florida Department of Transportation told CBS Miami:

“They’re definitely doing it to sell the wire and make a profit and it’s unfortunate because it is causing a safety issue on the highways,”

In the last 6 months the thief(s) have managed to get away with copper wire from more than 100 lights in Palm Beach County, leaving dark spots across more than 33 miles of roadway.

According to state officials the thieves have made off with more than 175 thousand feet of copper wiring.

That’s not the only area targets, Miami-Dade in the last year has watched 30 lights stripped of their wiring on I-95.

Thankfully there’s a good chance the criminals will eventually kill themselves, thus solving the problem, according to licensed electrician Derek Lawson:

“Very dangerous, you can lose your life. One hit, you won’t hear a noise, you won’t hear anything, it’s over, good night, that’s it.”

As a measure to stop the copper thiefs anti-theft devices will soon be placed on light poles.

Yes I said “Thankfully” these people will probably be hurt or killed, It’s not sympathetic but either is making driving more dangerous for motorists and in some cases their very young children.