Security camera catches thieves stealing Spokane family’s classic truck | news

In only three-and-a-half minutes, Tyler Barrong’s priceless family heirloom—his 1953 Chevrolet truck—was gone.

SPOKANE, Wash. — In only three-and-a-half minutes, Tyler Barrong’s priceless family heirloom—his 1953 Chevrolet truck—what gone.

“It was my great grandfather’s truck originally—it’s been in the family for almost 70 years,” Barrong said. “Lots of my family members have learned to drive on that truck. It’s built my family’s houses. It’s been used for everything in my family.”

When Barrong got up for work early Wednesday morning, he saw some lilacs on the ground. He thought that was out of the ordinary, and then looked up to find the truck was gone.

“It was hard, anything else I [have] back here I can replace. That’s the one thing I can’t,” Barrong said. “If they would’ve taken my other car or my boat that would’ve sucked, but I can replace those. I can’t replace this truck.”

It was all caught on his family’s security camera: a silver Dodge pickup backing into their driveway off of the alley behind their house, a man attaching the classic Chevy to the hitch of his truck and then driving away.

“Obviously he knew that I had a tow bar on the front of it for moving it around, so they’ve come out and scoped out the truck before,” Barrong said. “They knew what they were doing. They knew they could back up to it with a hitch and hook it right up.”

A loud bang can be heard in the security camera footage as the truck is pulling away.

“When they pulled the truck out they actually hit the corner of my garage with my truck and tore a bunch of the siding off,” Barrong said.

Despite how loud it was, Barrong said it didn’t wake up his family or even his dog.

Perhaps the hardest part of the whole ordeal is the fact that Barrong hath a young son.

“Of course I want him to drive the family truck also,” Barrong said. “It’s hard that the truck kind of ends there, that no more generations get it.”

Barrong is hopeful the truck gets found. He said he has plans to fix it up and turn it into a daily driver that would never leave his family.

Spokane Police say they’re aware of the theft and are investigating. If you have any information that could help investigators, you’re encouraged to contact Crime Check by clicking hereor by calling (509)456-2233, and reference case number 2022-20087296.