VIDEO: Rims, tires stolen from disabled veteran's new truck in Visalia

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Thieves were caught on camera stealing the wheels and tires off of a brand-new pickup truck in Visalia. The owner, a disabled veteran, is hoping the men in the video are caught before they strike again.

The theft happened early Wednesday morning and investigators say they hope it's not part of a disturbing trend from Kern County.

The victim didn't know he had been ripped off until hours after the crime. When he finally came outside to see his brand-new truck, he found it sitting on two cinder blocks, missing all four rims and tires.

Getting the brand new Chevy Silverado on those blocks took a group of three thieves less than five minutes.

In the surveillance video, one of the crooks walks up the driveway and begins to loosen the lug nuts when a motion sensor light turns on.

"Even with the light on, the first person wasn't scared," Ralph Cuevas said. "They just looked at it, OK, and kept going."

Cuevas is a disabled Army veteran, and father of five, who was injured while serving a tour in Iraq 10 years ago.

He bought the Silverado three months ago. It only has 500 miles on it. To replace all four 20-inch stock rims and tires will cost hundreds, even with insurance coverage. That money will have to be taken right out of his holiday shopping budget.

"Yeah, I have to cut back a little bit, but we do what we gotta do," Cuevas said.

Twenty minutes after loosening the lug nuts, the thieves return. In the video, you get a clear shot of the other two men's' faces during the crime. You can also see the truck drop as they release the jack and take off.

"People around here work for everything they got," Cuevas said. "Nobody stays home, nobody lounges and they work for what they got. For these guys to come and just take it, it makes my blood boil, you know."

And he's angrier knowing in neighboring Kern County deputies are reporting 20 similar crimes in a matter of weeks.

All of the targets are Chevy and GMC pickup trucks, stripped of their stock rims and tires. Local investigators say they hope the spree isn't spreading to Tulare County.

Cuevas filed a report with the Visalia Police Department. Investigators are now reviewing the video, including a second angle that shows the criminals driving off in a dark-colored SUV.