A theft that cost a small Granada Hills construction crew an estimated $4,000 to $5,000 in equipment also left it needing to borrow tools to keep working. Shortly before noon on Oct. 22, two thieves took equipment from a driveway while crew members were inside a home repairing water damage, KTLA reported. The Los Angeles Times reported that three crew members were inside.
Borrowed equipment kept the job moving
The stolen items included a nail gun, eight batteries and a blower, according to the Los Angeles Times. Owner Michael Litberg told KTLA the workers did not know the thieves had arrived. Neverless Construction owner Michael Litberg borrowed replacement tools from friends so the crew could continue the repair.
The company had only recently begun buying its own tools, owner Michael Litberg told KTLA. Homeowner Jan Menapace’s Ring camera recorded the theft. She gave the video to the Times in hopes someone could identify the thieves and contact the Los Angeles Police Department; she told the newspaper she had not reported the theft herself.
After KTLA’s report prompted viewers to ask how they could help, Menapace started a GoFundMe with a $5,000 goal. It had raised nearly $4,000 by the time of the Times report. The reports do not establish whether the tools will be recovered or whether the crew has insurance coverage for the loss.
Other cases show different paths to replacing tools
Other reported thefts offer examples of the burden on workers, but they do not establish that tool theft is increasing. In Richmond, a Madera father lost tools worth about $1,500, disrupting his weekend side jobs, KMPH reported. In Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a handyman reportedly raised enough through GoFundMe to replace nearly $7,000 in stolen tools within 24 hours, according to KMBC. Those cases differ in location and circumstances from the Granada Hills driveway theft.
A larger Southern California case involved a different kind of loss: more than $600,000 in tools stolen from Home Depot stores were recovered, and two suspects were arrested in connection with a resale scheme at a Los Angeles County swap meet. The Home Depot case differed from the Granada Hills driveway theft.
Broad equipment figures have limits
The National Equipment Register and National Insurance Crime Bureau cautioned in a 2014 report that its equipment-theft estimates excluded tools and building materials. The report also said there was no centralized, accurate or exhaustive database capturing every equipment-theft loss. Its estimates therefore should not be treated as a count of losses involving hand tools such as nail guns and batteries. Separately, the California Department of Insurance says inland marine insurance may include theft among standard covered perils, but coverage depends on the particular policy.
For the Granada Hills crew, the immediate response has been borrowed equipment and community donations. The available reporting does not say whether the stolen tools have been recovered, and broader equipment-theft estimates cannot answer that question or quantify losses of this kind.
