Fairburn police recover $30K in stolen TVs hidden in woods

Police body camera footage shows the moment Fairburn officers discovered nearly 100 stolen flat-screen TVs hidden in the woods.

(CNN)- Police body camera footage shows the moment Fairburn officers discovered nearly 100 stolen flat-screen TVs hidden in the woods.

Investigators say thieves broke open a cargo container on a train, tossed out more than $30,000 worth of televisions, and stashed them nearby to retrieve later.

Two suspects — Michael Finch and Tommy Woods — were arrested after a concerned citizen spotted a van parked near the tracks and called 911. When officers questioned the men, they gave conflicting stories. But it was their appearance that raised red flags.

Their shoes and pants were caked in fresh red clay — the same mud officers had to walk through to reach the train site.

“In order to get up to the train cars, you had to go up this embankment,” said Fairburn Police Chief Anthony Bazydlo. “As the officers were doing that, they got red clay on their shoes and on their pants, and they were able to put it together.”

Both men are now in jail without bond, and investigators say more arrests could follow.

Officials note the theft highlights a nationwide problem — cargo theft cost railroads more than $100 million in 2024.

“With the emergence of technology used by bad actors, like placing GPS units inside containers so they know exactly which to break into, or using saws to cut brake lines to estimate where trains will stop — it’s a growing issue,” said Keith Lewis, vice president of Cargonet.