Family moving across country before Christmas has U-Haul stolen full of belongings
PHOENIX (KPHO/Gray News) - A family says their move from the Midwest to the desert has turned into a nightmare.
Gene and Jamie Bruce told KPHO that their U-Haul truck was stolen over the weekend with all of their belongings as they are in the midst of moving to Arizona.
After saving up for two years for their golden years in Phoenix, they packed up their whole lives and loaded it up in a U-Haul truck.
The couple and their two granddaughters said goodbye to Missouri last Friday and hit the road to their resting spot at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites in New Mexico.
They arrived late at night, driving separately in their pickup truck and U-Haul.
“The lady at the desk said we weren’t allowed to park our U-Haul at the property and that we had to park it on the street,” Jamie Bruce said.
They followed the employee’s instructions.
Gene Bruce said he checked on the trucks around midnight, and everything was fine. However, when Jamie Bruce went to take a look around 3 a.m., she found broken glass scattered on the street and the U-Haul gone.
According to Gene Bruce, he thought his wife was pulling a prank on him. But that was not the case.
“I ran downstairs, and I was just in disbelief and couldn’t understand why,” he said. “We just both kind of fell to pieces.”
Their pickup truck was still there. So, they drove around the area looking for the U-Haul after calling the police.
Jamie Bruce said an employee with the Albuquerque U-Haul branch contacted them a short time late and told them that the U-Haul was found in the parking lot of a carwash.
The couple met police at the carwash, but everything was already stolen out of the U-Haul.
The family said they had new furniture, Christmas presents, Northwest Football League rings and a military burial flag inside.
Gene Bruce said the thieves also took their birth certificates, tax reports and other important documents from the truck.
The Bruces said those responsible for taking their items have already hacked into a few of their accounts.
“It’s like, ‘OK, what’s going to happen next? What are we going to do now?’” Gene Bruce said.
The move was supposed to be a new start for their granddaughters whose mother died two years ago.
Although everything they own has been stolen, the one thing the thieves can’t take is the family’s Christmas spirit.
“No one is going to take that from us,” Jamie Bruce said.
The couple said they have filed a report with the Albuquerque Police Department and a family member has started a GoFundMe to help them after the ordeal.
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