RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Shortly after dusk along a lonely stretch of Interstate 95, armed robbers hijacked an armored truck, tied up the two guards and disappeared into the night with 275 pounds of gold bars. 
 
 The guards working for Transvalue Inc. of Miami reported pulling off to the side of the interstate about 6:30 p.m. Sunday after their vehicle began having mechanical problems in eastern North Carolina, according to the Wilson County Sheriff's Office. 
 
 The guards told police they were surprised by three armed men driving a white van who ordered the guards to lie on the ground, tied their hands behind their backs and then marched them into nearby woods. 
 
 The robbers then helped themselves to barrels filled with about $4.8 million in gold before making their getaway. Transvalue said its employees were not injured during the heist. 
 
 Transvalue chief executive officer Jay Rodriguez said the truck carrying the gold bars left Miami about 4 a.m. Sunday. The load was headed to Attleboro, Massachusetts, a town south of Boston nicknamed "Jewelry City" for the large number of manufacturers based there. 
 
 "At this time we are working with the authorities to try and resolve this matter," Rodrigez said. "We are offering a $50,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of these criminals." 
 
 Though Interstate 95 is one of the busiest roads on the East Coast, the rural stretch where the robbery occurred is relatively isolated, bordered by trees and farms. 
 
 Wilson County Sheriff Calvin Woodard Jr. declined interview requests Monday and did not respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking additional information, such as what weapons the robbers used or how they managed to get the armored truck open. No detailed description of the suspects or their vehicle was released. 
 
 Shelley Lynch, spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Charlotte field office, said agents are assisting the local sheriff and are working to determine whether a federal crime has been committed. 
 
 According to its website, Transvalue specializes in transporting cash, precious metals, gems and jewelry in armored trucks. The company says its shipments are insured for up to $100 million. 
 
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 — The FBI and Wilson County authorities are investigating the theft of an estimated $4 million worth of gold reportedly stolen during an armed robbery along Interstate 95 near Wilson Sunday evening, the sheriff's office says. 
 
 Two armed security guards told authorities that they were traveling from Miami to Massachusetts with a shipment of silver and gold when they pulled over at mile marker 114 after mechanical problems with their truck. 
 
 The sheriff's office says the guards reported that three armed men in a white van approached them, ordered them to the ground, tied their hands behind their backs and forced them to walk into some nearby woods. 
 
 Investigators, who responded to the scene shortly before 7 p.m., said the men then reportedly took three barrels of gold and left while the guards were in the woods. 
 
 It was unclear what form the gold was in, and the sheriff's office declined a request for an interview Monday morning. 
 
 But at gold's current value of about $40,000 per 1-kilogram bar, that could mean as many as 100 bars, or about 220 pounds. 
 
 A spokeswoman for the FBI said agents are looking to figure out if a federal crime occurred. 
 
 The guards are employed by TransValue Inc., which according to its website, is a Miami-based company that transports valuables between financial institutions. 
 
 Owner Jesus Rodriguez said he was unable to comment about the matter but confirmed the guards were driving a tractor-trailer. Neither was injured, he said. 
 
 The company is cooperating with authorities and is offering a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest. 
 
 Investigators ask that anyone with information to call the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office at 252-237-2118.
– Highway robbery in North Carolina: Police and the FBI are probing a heist on Interstate 95 Sunday night in which around $4 million in gold was allegedly stolen from a truck. Two armed security guards who were transporting the gold from Miami to Massachusetts say that after they pulled over at mile 114 when the truck had mechanical problems, they were approached by three armed men in a van who tied their hands behind their backs and ordered them to walk into the woods, WRAL reports. While the TransValue guards were in the woods, the bandits made off with 275 pounds of gold bars, according to the Wilson Times. Interstate 95 is a busy road, but the heist took place along a lonely, isolated stretch of it surrounded by woods and farms, reports the AP, which notes that it isn't clear how the robbers were able to get the truck open. TransValue, which is based in Miami, says its guards were not injured in the heist and is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the robbers. The FBI is investigating to determine whether a federal crime occurred, WRAL reports. (In another gold heist earlier this year, thieves made off with gold nuggets from the Wells Fargo History Museum.)