NORFOLK, Va. — Days after someone stole their minivan and U-Haul, a military family got their treasured possessions back.
The Crandall family flew to Virginia on Wednesday morning and drove straight to an impound lot in Norfolk.
There the family was reunited with their stolen vehicles and most of their possessions — including the family's baby books.
"I didn't think I would ever see this car again," Matthew Crandall said.
Crandall is in the Coast Guard and previously lived in Tampa, Florida.
He and his family were heading to their next duty station in Massachusetts but stopped in Norfolk to rest at the Navy Lodge.
Their vehicles were stolen from outside — but were reported found on Tuesday.
"It was definitely ransacked and went through, but most of the stuff we cared about is still in there," Crandall said. "There are a couple of things of jewelry missing, but those can be replaced pretty easily."
Norfolk Police called they found the vehicles in front of a Dollar General.
"Someone saw it and thought it was a little obscure to see, in the middle of Virginia, Texas plates on a minivan with the window broken in and the U-Haul bashed in," Crandall said.
But with the lock still on the U-haul, Crandall is taking $30,000 worth of possessions back home with him to Florida — the baby books, his daughters' footprints, and his military accomplishments that he kept throughout the years.
"I'm so happy because being a military family, that's one of the few things that we have for stability. We have the memories, we have the small items that we can hold onto throughout our moves," he said.
The Crandalls can also hold onto the fact they're some of the lucky ones, heading back home with the items near and dear to their heart.
"I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped out. Even the news channel for putting this out and getting our story," Crandall said.
Crandall was completely overjoyed being reunited with his cars Wednesday, but this is still an active investigation.
We reached out to Norfolk Police, who said so far this year they've had 738 car thefts. In July alone, there have been 69 reported car thefts.
