ARIZONA, USA — What was supposed to be a move for a better future in Arizona turned into a nightmare for Eugene and Jamie Bruce.
The U-Haul truck that had all their belongings in it was stolen in a matter of hours when they stopped to rest at a hotel. All they have left to their name is a white pick-up truck they bought years ago in Phoenix and the clothes on their backs.
“It’s just a living hell,” Eugene Bruce told 12News on Monday. “A living nightmare.”
The family was relocating back to the Valley after living in Mexico, Missouri, for about a decade.
They saved for two years as Jamie Bruce was getting ready to retire. They bought new furniture, household items and food to last them about six months once they made it back to Phoenix.
They packed all of it inside a 26-foot U-Haul truck and embarked on the 21-hour drive on Friday.
“We were excited,” Eugene Bruce said. "We left about 3 a.m. and said goodbye to everyone there.”
Fifteen hours into their trip, the Bruce’s and their two granddaughters stopped at a Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a stop they often did on previous trips to Arizona to visit family, but this hotel was new.
“We picked that property because it is gated, and it has security,” Jaime Bruce said. “Because we had everything we owned in the U-Haul, we wanted something secure, and we could get a good night’s rest and not worry about our belongings.”
After they arrived at the hotel, the Bruce’s said they parked their vehicles away from the entrance not to block other guests as they checked in, but the night clerk told them they couldn’t park there because that is “against company policy to park a U-Haul on property.”
The family said they were forced to park the U-Haul and their personal truck, which had a small trailer hooked to it, outside of the gate, but in front of the hotel’s entrance.
Around 3 a.m. Jaime Bruce woke up and checked on their vehicles, but the U-Haul was missing. The only thing that was left behind was broken glass.
“I just couldn’t believe my eyes,” Eugene Bruce said fighting back tears. “Our whole life was shattered. Everything that we’ve owned, it was all gone.”
Among the stolen items were family heirlooms— a 100-year-old rocking chair gifted by their grandparents, quilts, and blankets from their grandmother who lived to be 102 years old, baby pictures of their 11- and 12-year-old granddaughters who they took custody of after their daughter passed away in 2020, and Eugene Bruce’s hall of fame rings he received from the Pacific Northwest Football League he was inducted to in 2018.
“The thing that hurts the most is our father’s flag from the military was in the back too,” he said. “Every one or two years we would pass the flag around to different family members. The last time we were in Seattle, I picked it up from my brother and brought it home thinking we’ll have it a year, but now we can’t get that back.”
The Bruces said the thieves also stole their identities, given that some documents with identifying factors were inside the moving truck.
“They were asking our friends and family for money through PayPal, and they hacked into our bank accounts. We had to cancel our debit cards, so now we don’t even have access to our stuff.”
All their family’s Christmas presents were also taken.
Before the Bruces left New Mexico, police notified them the U-Haul was found. It was parked in a car wash near the hotel. They were told the truck was running, but the inside was empty. All of their things were gone.
While they ask for prayers, they are glad no one was hurt.
“We’ll come out stronger,” Jaime Bruce said. “It’s not going to beat us.”
12News made multiple attempts to contact Albuquerque Police and the hotels’ chain but never heard back.
A family friend created a GoFundMe account to help the Bruces get back on their feet, anyone interested in donating can click here.