Connor Nelson’s California apartment break-in: What happened and what we know so far

Navy sailor Connor Nelson returned to his California apartment after a 10-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, only to discover his SUV had been stolen and his home ransacked while he was away.

Sailor returns home to burglary

A California sailor’s return home took an unexpected turn when Connor Nelson discovered his apartment had been burglarised after a 10-month deployment aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, with several belongings and his SUV missing.

Instead, his homecoming quickly turned into a shock. Nelson, who is based in Lemoore, California, arrived back on Sunday and first noticed that his parking space was empty. His 1997 Toyota 4Runner was missing.

At first, he thought the vehicle might have been towed.

But when Nelson reached his apartment and went to unlock the front door, he realised something was wrong. The door opened without resistance, and inside, his belongings had been thrown around and several valuables were missing.

Among the items Nelson said were stolen were a snowboard, golf clubs, fishing equipment, a laptop, television, sound bar, shoes and a hockey jersey.

Because he had been deployed for about 10 months, Nelson does not know exactly when the burglary happened. His landlord spoke with neighbours, but no one reportedly noticed anything unusual. He was also told that the SUV may have been missing for two or three months before his return.

The case has been reported to police and remains under investigation.

New details emerged after the incident

News of the burglary prompted Nelson’s father, Justin Nelson, to travel from Minnesota to California to help his son deal with the aftermath.

Justin is a Navy veteran who served for 22 years, giving him a personal understanding of what returning home after a deployment means.

He said the homecoming is normally a moment when a sailor can relax, reconnect with family and friends, and feel a sense of accomplishment. For Connor, that experience was disrupted by the burglary.

According to CBS Minnesota, Connor had also saved money during his deployment and had plans for how he would spend it after returning home. Instead, some of that money now needs to go towards replacing belongings that were taken.

Justin has since started an online fundraiser to help his son recover some of the losses. CBS Minnesota reported that it had raised more than $20,000 by September 25, while an earlier local report said the fundraiser had crossed $6,000 within days.

The USS Abraham Lincoln had spent more than nine months in the Middle East during the deployment, including 250 consecutive days at sea, according to CBS Minnesota.

For Nelson, however, the focus now is much closer to home. After months away, he returned expecting to settle back into his apartment. Instead, he was left trying to work out when the burglary happened and how to replace what had been taken.