Stolen: 2001 Ford E350 4x4

[ndecker9]

hi folks!

short-time lurker, first-time posting and with some unfortunate news.. reaching out for your support.

to start, I hope I am posting this in an acceptable place within the forum. If not, I apologize in adVANce

my new-to-me (1 month) rig went missing over the weekend (sometime between 21-25AUG while out of town). it was parked in Rockridge neighborhood of Oakland, CA. I checked in with City of Oakland's single towing company, Auto Plus Towing, and they don't have it so I've since filed a report w/ Oakland PD and kicked things off w/ my insurance company.

my couple asks are:
1. if you live in the bay area and come across it while out and about, please let me (248-425-4412) or Oakland PD know ASAP
2. share any advice you may have through your own experiences. feel free to comment here or DM me. thinking insurance claim tips (what do I need to prove worth of van since worth multiple times more than KBB?), getting word out (posting to any particular forums / facebook groups / reddit, searching facebook marketplace / craigslist, etc), and/or anything else that comes to mind.

description:
• 2001 Ford E350
• color: maroon + dark tinted windows
• it's huge.. ~7ft tall (6" lift, 4x4, 35" tires, solid front axle)
• it's loud.. 7.3L turbo diesel sounds like semi truck
• Michigan rear plate and yellow "Walloon Lake" front plate (..may be gone)

lastly, here are some more photos.

thank you, thank you!

[BrianW]

Oh man that’s terrible! Sorry to hear that. Several forum members from Oakland have had their vans stolen recently. Check for recent threads.

[JWA]

My condolences will sound weak and ineffective but I do hope you recover this vehicle in short order. FWIW there's no real one best place here to post this sort of information as I'm sure it will be seen by many members here.

Its well after the fact I know but some of theft deterrent like Ravelco would be a good idea if you recover this one or replace it. Nothing is completely theft-proof but slowing them down is a deterrent all on its own.

Best wishes on a speedy recovering!

[marret]

Sucks. Keeps happening on the west coast. Wish you the best.

[1der]

A STOCK very clean relatively low mileage E350 7.3 15 pass XLT non white 1999 to 2003 is worth around $20k and would take months and months to find.

Hope they find it soon and in decent condition.

I have met Nick, really nice guy- super stoked about finding his dream van to start a build. Very sad - I am staying positive it will be found soon.

[daveb]

I'll keep an eye out for it in central cal. Hope it's located and in good shape. Rallypanam had one of his stolen in the bay area and got an insurance settlement IIRC. He did see the van on the highway after the fact which kinda rubbed it in. He might have some insight on the insurance process. Good luck.

[Jeff94598]

Sorry to hear about the stolen van. I live in the bay area and work in the insurance business. I would encourage you to reach out to other cities across the bay, like San Francisco or San Jose, as many times these vehicles are taken for the sole purpose of driving across the bridges to be used in criminal activities, as these people realize they are going to be recorded going through the toll sections. I have had many clients recover their vehicles several days later in different parts of the bay area then where they were taken.

[JonBertsch]

I spotted the van at Chabot and Patten next to Chabot Middle School. I didn't approach it beyond taking a photo. Sent a text and called the owner. Hope he can get to it before it moves again.

[Twoxentrix]

^^^^ Thats amazing...what are the odds??? ^^^^

[BroncoHauler]

Originally Posted by JonBertsch

I spotted the van at Chabot and Patten next to Chabot Middle School. I didn't approach it beyond taking a photo. Sent a text and called the owner. Hope he can get to it before it moves again.

Way to make an entrance to the forum.


Herb