'I think everything's here:' Oakland man relieved stolen U-Haul recovered with urn, wedding dress

OAKLAND, Calif. - It has been a harrowing three days for Adrian Minor and his family after their locked U-Haul was stolen in front of their Oakland apartment on Friday, containing everything they owned including his father-in-law's remains and his wife's wedding dress.

But on Sunday, Minor, a 43-year-old banker and father of two, told KTVU that the truck had been recovered - after the driver slammed into six parked cars in Adam's Point and fled. That suspect is still on the loose, as far as Minor knows. Oakland police did not immediately return comment on Sunday.

But apart from six or so boxes and a TV that were stolen, Minor exclaimed,  "I think everything's here."

He spotted his guitar, the family's birth certificates and other personal identification, as well as his father-in-law's urn and the gown his wife wore when the two married. 

"She broke down when she saw that," Minor said. "We're both really emotional."

Mobile users click here to watch the surveillance video

Minor provided KTVU a police report number and photos of both the robbery, and the aftermath of when the U-Haul hit six cars at Pearl and Orange streets on Saturday about 2:30 p.m. That's when police officers called him to say they had found his stolen rented truck, despite the fact that the driver had gotten away.

The U-Haul was stolen about 1 p.m. Friday, from the time Minor ran into the house to get something, despite the fact that he had locked it and left it alone for less than four minutes. The suspect hotwired it somehow, Minor said.

When he got the call, Minor rushed to the scene, and discovered it was indeed the U-Haul that someone in a gray sweatshirt, as seen in video surveillance from his apartment building, had taken from in front of his house on Harrison Street.

Neighbors in Adam's Point surrounded Minor after hearing of his story and took pictures for him. The pictures show the U-Haul sitting on top of a Subaru, and several cars along the street damaged by what one neighbor described as the rental truck "barreling through the neighborhood," Minor recounted. "Whoever did this is dangerous." 

Though Minor was suffering from major anxiety on Friday, two days later, his voice was light and chipper. "I feel blessed," he said. There were so many people who helped, including some neighbors who offered to let him sleep in their homes as he stood guard of the U-Haul once it was found, and one man came out to pray with him.

Minor's family, including two young daughters, should have been on the road to Los Angeles Friday afternoon because he had been promoted to a new position at his bank.  Instead, he spent the weekend worrying and dealing with getting his belongings back. He planned to be on the road later Sunday afternoon and start his new job on Thursday, as intended. 

As for advice for anyone else in this situation? "Invite some friends over to help you with moving and watch the truck," he said. "Don't ever leave it alone."