Suspect sought after Navy veteran’s truck stolen in Berry Hill

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Berry Hill Police Department is asking for the public’s help to identify a thief who stole a truck from a Navy veteran.

According to authorities, the crime took place on Oct. 29. However, police said they recently obtained surveillance video from a fast food restaurant, which shows the victim’s truck and the man who is believed to have took it.

The victim—identified as 35-year-old Alex MacKenzie— is a Navy veteran who rose to the rank of petty officer third class (PO3).

The California native told News 2 he served from 2017 to 2021. As part of his duties, the 35-year-old worked on air craft carriers, specializing in electronic attack technology, specifically for the EA Growler jet aircraft.

The Growler is a specialized version of the F/A 18F Super Hornet. It’s a sophisticated Navy jet that disrupts enemy radar and communication, clearing the way for fighter jets to complete combat missions without being detected.

MacKenzie said after leaving the Navy, he also left California and moved to the Volunteer State.

Since then, he has taken up residence in Berry Hill working with a construction company doing electrical work.

He told News 2 he moved to the state with the help of his 2010 black Nissan Frontier pick-up truck.

However, on Oct. 29 when he went into his apartment complex’s parking garage to head to work, he noticed his truck was gone.

Also missing from the truck was his wallet, credit cards and work equipment. He said the sense of violation has not left him.

“It’s actually taken a while to clear my head of that,” said MacKenzie. “It feels very very strange.”

According to Berry Hill police, the same morning the truck was taken, MacKenzie’s credit card was used at a McDonald’s at approximately 2:47 a.m. in the Metro Center area.

As seen in the video, the suspect pulls up to the restaurant’s speaker and gets out the vehicle to order and later walks around to the passenger side.

Police said the suspect used the card a second time at approximately 10 a.m. at the same McDonald’s.

The suspect is described as a man with a skinny build, approximately 6-feet-tall with a beard and short afro, officials said.

When asked what he thought when he saw the man driving his truck, MacKenzie said he tries to make a honest living and just wants his truck back.

“That was your vehicle to get to this job site. How have you been getting to work?” News 2’s Andy Cordan asked.

“I’ve been taking Ubers every morning, Ubers and Lyfts to here. I am lucky that I have some very nice coworkers who live a little north of Berry Hill so they have been giving me a ride home here and there,” replied MacKenzie.

Cordan asked MacKenzie what he hopes the outcome would be and what has he been doing in the meantime.

“I’m Catholic, I’ve been going to church the last couple of Sundays,” responded MacKenzie. “I’ve been walking, I’ve been praying to St. Jude, that is the one where you don’t have any hope basically, so I’ve been praying to that every night.”

A GoFundMe was created to help support the Navy veteran with Uber costs and a new vehicle. If you would like to make a donation, click this link.

If you recognize the man in the video above or if you have seen MacKenzie’s pick-up truck, you are urged to contact the Berry Hill Police Department.