A photographer and filmmaker lost $24,000 of camera equipment when his car was broken into in Oakland, California. To make matters worse, his gear was recently purchased and wasn’t yet insured.
Justin Schuck recounted the story to ABC7 News. After returning to his car and discovering the missing items, he tracked the equipment on his smartphone via the Apple AirTags he had hidden in the camera bags.
Schuck watched his camera gear and drone move across the Golden Gate Bridge and arrive at a street address. He called the police to notify them of the whereabouts of the stolen goods and was surprised to learn that the address was well known to the SFPD.
The officer even told Schuck, “Oh yeah, that’s a known major fencing operation. Everybody in the Bay Area knows that they can bring their stolen and offload them there.”
Schuck is furious that the San Francisco police are doing nothing about this operation, which enables thieves to sell stolen items.
Talking to ABC7 News, Schuck asked why the police weren’t doing anything about it. The police didn’t answer calls and instead sent an email saying they couldn’t share details due to ongoing investigations.
To help replace the stolen equipment, Schuck has started a GoFundMe page. Schuck has been sober since 2019 and says photography and filmmaking have played a big part in his recovery.
According to news reports, 10,000 cars have been broken into in SF this year alone. DIYP has reported many stories of photographers and filmmakers being robbed, even at gunpoint in the Bay area. If you happen to be there with any expensive gear, first, make sure it is insured, and second, don’t leave it in your car.
[Via ABC7 News]
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