A man has been jailed after stealing nearly £23,000 worth of designer shoes from a lorry at a motorway service station before being dramatically arrested in Stratford, East London.
A security camera video captured the moment 35-year-old Michael Tremarco, from Canvey Island, Essex, was arrested after Kent Police tracked him down following a night-time theft at the Medway Services on the M2 motorway.
Organised Lorry Theft in the Night
The incident began in the early hours of 11 April 2025, when a security guard at the service station noticed someone loitering near a curtain-sided lorry. Moments later, a man was seen fleeing to another lorry which sped away.
On inspection, the side of the original lorry appeared damaged, and the sleeping driver confirmed a theft had taken place. A total of 23 boxes of shoes, estimated to be worth £22,970, had been stolen.
Police Pursuit and Arrest in London
Kent Police immediately dispatched patrols towards London. Officers stopped the suspect lorry on Cadogan Terrace in Stratford, where the driver attempted to switch places with a passenger seat before being arrested on the spot.
Tremarco was found to be driving without a licence or insurance. He was charged with theft, driving without insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
At Maidstone Crown Court on 27 May, Tremarco pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison.
Police Statement
PC Natalie Newfield, the investigating officer, commented:
“This was clearly an organised crime that was executed swiftly during the hours of darkness.
Fortunately, a security guard alerted Kent Police, and officers were able to catch up with the offender in London, when he probably thought he was safe from being arrested.
This should serve as a warning to those who decide to travel into this county to commit crime. You will be pursued back across the border, tracked down and ultimately brought to justice.”
