A masked man smashed into a rental SUV parked near Swan's Market in Old Oakland on Wednesday and made off with $35,000 in camera equipment — including the only copies of an Antioch couple's wedding photos. Photographer David Martin had stepped away from his vehicle for just a few minutes to grab food when the theft happened, leaving newlyweds Jenna Wesenhagen-Banks and Nick Banks without the professional images from their big day.
According to KTVU, Martin had parked his rental Kia Sportage at the corner of 10th and Washington Streets before heading into Swan's Market. Witnesses told Martin they saw a masked man emerge from a green vehicle and break into the SUV. Among the stolen items were two cameras, lenses, a drone, a laptop, and a hard drive and memory cards holding the Bankses' wedding photos. Contra Costa News reported the break-in happened around 11 a.m. Wednesday near 11th and Washington Streets, adjacent to Swan's Market, while Martin was traveling between job locations.
A Wedding Three Days Earlier, Then a Devastating Loss
Jenna Wesenhagen-Banks and Nick Banks were married October 4 at La Grande Estates in Oakley, in eastern Contra Costa County, just three days before the theft, per the same account. The newlyweds live in nearby Antioch. Martin had photographed a building for a different client shortly before the break-in and suspects he may have been followed from that job to Old Oakland, the station's report notes.
The Oakland Police Department is investigating the theft, which is officially logged under case report number RD# 26-042959, according to Contra Costa News. No arrests had been made as of the report. Under California law, auto burglary is classified as a second-degree “wobbler” offense that can be charged as a misdemeanor or felony, and prosecutors must prove the vehicle's doors or trunk were locked at the time of entry, per the Shouse Law Group.
Searching Pawn Shops and Pleading for Return
Martin spent Thursday searching pawn shops in San Francisco and Oakland for the stolen gear, per KTVU's reporting. Any pawnbroker or secondhand dealer who acquires property in California is legally required to log serial numbers, item descriptions, and seller identification into the state's CAPSS database daily, according to Justia's summary of California Business and Professions Code Section 21628. The system is maintained by the California Department of Justice to help detect stolen property moving through pawn shops, though informal sales bypass the database entirely.
“The couple's memories were important to them,” Jenna Wesenhagen-Banks said, according to KTVU's report. Martin, for his part, said the couple's photos were the one thing he could not replace. The newlyweds have received videos and still photos from friends who attended the wedding, but they're still hoping their professional images turn up.
Family Launches GoFundMe, Offers Reward
Martin's family started a GoFundMe to help restore his livelihood and is offering a reward for information leading to the recovery of the equipment. Anyone with information is asked to email [email protected]. Martin says he now plans to back up his equipment in separate locations going forward — a practice that trade groups like the Professional Photographers of America recommend industry-wide, alongside dual-card slot recording and immediate offsite backups, according to PetaPixel. The PPA also offers equipment theft insurance policies covering up to $15,000 in losses.
Not the First Bay Area Photographer Targeted
This isn't the first time a Bay Area wedding photographer has lost irreplaceable images to a car break-in. In July 2017, a wedding photographer near San Francisco's Presidio had $15,000 in camera equipment and memory cards stolen, including a couple's City Hall wedding photos, according to SFGATE; that photographer similarly offered a reward and free reshoots. The danger escalated further in November 2022, when armed robbers pistol-whipped a photographer during an attempted equipment theft at San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts, prompting some wedding photographers to hire security guards or avoid local shoots altogether, Rangefinder Magazine reported.
The theft comes even as Oakland's overall property crime numbers have been trending downward. Oakland Police Department data released in April 2026 showed major reported crimes, including burglaries, fell 29% overall during the first quarter of the year compared to the same period in 2025. Preliminary full-year 2025 figures had already shown a 32% drop in auto, residential, and commercial burglaries compared to the three-year average, along with a 41% decrease in vehicle thefts, according to KTVU's earlier reporting on the city's crime trends. Despite those broader declines, high-value camera gear remains a magnet for opportunistic smash-and-grab theft, as Wesenhagen-Banks and Banks have learned firsthand while they wait for word on their missing wedding photos.
