Newlyweds Storage Box Stolen From U-Haul Lot
DENVER (CBS4)- A newlywed couple in Denver is heartbroken after all their belongings were stolen from a U-Haul storage facility.
"All of those things can never be replaced," Lia Berman said through tears.
After living in Istanbul for many years, Berman decided to move home to Colorado with her new husband from Turkey. The couple was looking forward to buying their first home together and decorating it with all the unique treasures they collected abroad.
"We were super excited for the next chapter of our lives," Berman told CBS4's Kelly Werthmann. "We've collected these things and wanted to bring a bit of our lives there back here so we could feel really complete."
Until their house was ready, the couple stored their possessions in a 'U-Box' at the U-Haul facility in Englewood. Berman and her husband dropped the box off the morning of June 22 and were told it would be moved into the warehouse that day. Yet their U-Box stayed outside and was stolen on June 25.
"It was supposed to be scanned, numbered and immediately put in a place where they could track it," Berman said. "However, because [U-Haul] said it was the end of the month and things were very busy, that box never made it into the warehouse. They originally said it was misplaced."
Berman said she didn't know anything had happened to her belongings until July 11 when she and her husband went to pick up their U-Box.
"We're almost there and we get a phone call that says it's been stolen.
"'We have no idea where [your items] are and we have no idea what you should do,'" Berman said. "It's horrible because it's everything we own. It's our personal belongings."
Inside the storage box were all of her husband's treasures from home in Turkey, authentic Turkish rugs and lamps, furniture, clothing and books. Perhaps most heartbreaking for Berman are the love letters she received from her husband as he served with the Turkish Army during the Syrian War.
"I'll never be able to show those to our future kids when they ask, 'How did you meet?'" she said crying. "[My husband] made the entire trip from there to here only to have his things stolen from down the street just because someone didn't do their jobs properly."
The Englewood U-Haul general manager declined an interview, but a company spokesperson told CBS4 in an email, "This situation is being addressed."
Berman and her husband have many question for U-Haul that remain unanswered, leaving them only with hope that someone will find her stolen belongings and memories.
"We just want to know where it is," she said tearfully. "Even if it's one letter or one book, one blanket. It would really mean a lot to us."
Englewood police are investigating the theft, along with another U-Box belonging to someone else that was stolen at the same time. The alleged thieves are said to be two white men driving a pair of trucks – one in a dark-colored Dodge Ram 3500, the other in an older blue truck, possibly a Chevy or Dodge. One driver was wearing khakis and a black hoodie, the other also wore khakis with a maroon long sleeve shirt.
U-Haul said they have surveillance video of the alleged thieves in action and will be giving it to police soon.
Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team as the morning reporter in 2012. After serving as weekend morning anchor, Kelly is now Covering Colorado First for CBS4 News at 10. Connect with Kelly on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @KellyCBS4.
