SAN DIEGO — Editor's note: CBS 8 reported Mr. Baumbaugh's truck was found 17 months after it was stolen.
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A Mission Valley man is looking for his classic pickup truck, which was stolen last week from a parking lot in front of his condo off Mission Center Road.
Joel Baumbaugh said the truck has been in his family for 50 years and has about one million miles on it. The engine has been replaced three times.
The 1950 Chevy 3/4-ton, long bed pickup was owned by Baumbaugh’s brother for 20 years, until he passed away. Baumbaugh said he has maintained the truck for the past 30 years.
“New brakes, new tires, new transmission, new engine,” Baumbaugh said. “It’s a fun thing to drive. People are always happy to see it. It's my daily driver. It's out a lot so people asked me about it.”
On Tuesday, June 21, the antique truck was stolen from the condo parking lot in the 5800 block of Mission Center Road just north of Friars Road.
It had a steering wheel lock on it at the time.
“The kind that you put on the steering wheel. I always turn it upside down because it's really hard to pick a lock upside down,” Baumbaugh said.
He thinks the truck must have been towed away because it has an automatic transmission, and you need a key to get it out of park.
“It was backed into a spot next to a curb. I think they had to use one of these hydraulic lifts in the back. I don't know if it was a jack with wheels on it or something like that,” he said.
Baumbaugh filed a police report with SDPD. He said the cops think the truck could be in Mexico or Los Angeles by now. He's said he's hoping someone will spot the truck, recognize it as stolen, and report it.
“How can you put a value on something like this? This is like losing a long-term pet or even a relative,” he said.
If you see the vehicle call the San Diego Police Department at (619) 531-2000.
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