Rock Salt Shortage Is Driving People To Crime

An armed robbery occurred in Philadelphia—not for cash, but for salt! A nationwide shortage of rock salt in the wake of the worst winter in years is actually driving people to crime.

The gunman was arrested in Philadelphia after he posted video of his crime to Instagram. The gunman, Darren Stinson, told police the robbery was meant to be a joke, but a judge wasn't laughing. He's being held on $250,000 bail.

Surveillance cameras caught a woman stealing rock salt from a man's porch in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Homeowner Jeremy Collier said, “I can't imagine what would go through someone's mind to go and steal rock salt off someone's porch. It is kind of brazen. It is kind of bold.”

Rock salt is like gold and hardware stores are selling out as fast as they can get it.

At one Ace hardware store, two pallets were full of rock salt on Monday, and they sold out the same day. They're expecting another delivery of 260 bags, but 170 are already pre-sold.

At a Lowe's hardware store, also out of rock salt, INSIDE EDITION was offered some unusual alternatives. A manager told us, "Some other alternatives you can use are sand, water softener salt, sawdust, and kitty litter."

You can also use kosher salt, ashes, and coffee grounds for traction on the icy snow. Some towns are using ground up beets to help melt the ice.