...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...
* WHAT...East winds 20 to 30 kt. Seas 8 to 10 feet.
* WHERE...All surrounding coastal waters.
* WHEN...Until 6 AM HST Friday.
* IMPACTS...Conditions will be hazardous to small craft.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller
vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions.
&&
'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
The Chevy truck was stolen from a Pearl City shop -- after years of upkeep and detailing due to it's ties to a family's passed patriarch.
PEARL CITY (KITV4) - So far this year, 1,600 cars were stolen across Oahu -- 100 less than during the same time last year, Honolulu Police Capt. Parker Bode reported.
But even one car is too many if you're the victim.
As a late Father's Day gift and for their dad's 70th birthday, Martha Viloria and her sister took their dad's truck to get a new paint job on Tuesday.
Hours later, the Chevrolet pick up was stolen outside of Maaco Auto Body Shop & Painting in Pearl City in broad daylight.
"I was completely devastated," Viloria recalled after hearing the news. "This truck has a history."
Not only is the truck special to Martha Viloria and her family, it is also sentimental to Charlotte Hakikawa, whose husband Cy was the previous owner.
After Cy passed away from cancer 11 years ago, Hakikawa sold it to her family friends -- Viloria's parents.
"I knew that they were going to take care of the truck and enjoy it the way that Cy did," Hakikawa said. "It was his baby. Having heard that it was stolen was upsetting because it's like a piece of him."
Even the truck itself, a 1992 Chevrolet 1500 454 SS, is considered something of a marvel nowadays. "It's not a truck that you see every day. Whenever I drive it, people stop me so they can buy it."
Viloria is enlisted in the Coast Guard and was stationed back home on Oahu in 2018. Since then, she and her father Afa spent may hours and thousands of dollars refurbishing it.
"It was a way for me to connect with my dad," Viloria explained, adding that the truck is also a way for Hakikawa's son Jett to connect with his dad.
Jett was just 10 years old when his father died.
"After we got it painted we were going to surprise him and have him drive it around so he could be in his dad's truck you know," Viloria said.
Three other cars were stolen from Maaco since its current owner took over the garage 9 years ago.
Surveillance footage caught the latest theft, showing a man breaking into the truck as it was parked on the side of the road before the crew could start any work on it.
Maaco owner Ryan Thornton said he spent about $70,000 on fencing, cameras, and floodlights to protect his customers' cars. On top of that, he invested in complete garage keeper's insurance coverage.
"Even though it's rare, plan for the worst, hope for the best," Thornton said. "We're gonna work with our insurance company to make sure the family is taken care of."
Some help will be needed after police found the truck Thursday afternoon.
While Viloria and her family are grateful the pick up was recovered, its passenger window and steering wheel are broken -- and its speakers, deck, original rims and new tires are missing.
No arrests have been made and if you have any information, call Honolulu Police.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
'A'ali'i is a reporter with KITV. He was born and raised on the island of Maui and graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in Journalism.
