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Naughty thief (pictured) stealing poor Lou's gal.
Naughty thief (pictured) stealing poor Lou's gal.

Huntington Beach surfer pleads for help after beloved Toyota 4Runner stolen during session

“Give me my car back, dude. I want it back, please. Even if it’s in shambles..."

Lou Sansevero drove to 20th Street, 20 blocks north of Huntington’s famed pier, for a sneaky weekend session, per the usual, in his 2025 beloved Toyota 4Runner. “I have a Total Chaos long travel kit on it. I’ve done all the maintenance myself on it. I’ve had no issue with it,” he gushed to KTLA news. He was overjoyed when he saw a space on the right hand curb that would easily accommodate his plus-sized utility vehicle and slid right in then proceeded to get ready. Wetsuit on, board waxed, key stashed.

I have a really good spot… I thought I had a really good spot,” he continued. “These guys fully watched me put it in there. I had it in a little magnetic box attached to my frame. I put it in there, and they watched every second of it.”

When Sansevero returned, his gal was gone.

A man living across the street had a digital recording device that captured a man, not Sansevero, arriving in a different car before getting into the 4Runner and driving away. “Unfortunately, it’s a very common thing around here. People just trust that no one’s going to break their stuff or steal their keys, but unfortunately you can’t do it. There are thieves looking for it all the time,” he said.

Sansevero filed a report with the Huntington Beach Police but is also entreating the surf community to help. “Give me my car back, dude. I want it back, please. Even if it’s in shambles, I just want to know where it is. Keep an eye out, please, everyone,” he concluded.

So if you see a 4Runner with Total Chaos whatnots, give chase and become a hero.

Huntington Beach Surfer Pleads For Help After Beloved Toyota 4Runner Stolen During Session 2

As a side note, I learned from a great friend that when parking spots are difficult to come by, call on the name of L. Ron Hubbard and one will appear.

It often works.

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snapper

Damn…wish my car would get stolen. Get such a fat check from USAA🤪

Tom House

Damn, how will this guy get around HB without a 4×4 with long-travel suspension

FL Skunk Ape

That thing’s in MX in a million diff pieces. Irresponsible to leave a key anywhere near the vehicle. This is fucking 2025.

Barnycle

Some might even say it’s 2026. The future is now, baby.

FL Skunk Ape

Ooops! The car is a 2025 ha ha.

Mike RZ

White people problems.

Barnycle

Nice. A new troll account.

Haven’t seen one of these in a while.

deeks
BograilCutback

First world country

Mike

Having a beater has its perks.

Hippy

I buried my key at the base of the cliff next to dog beach. Empty afternoon, glassy peaks, I wasn’t paying attention until I looked in to gauge if I was in position for the right I was eyeing above. This dude is digging looking for my key so I bellied in immediately and yelled as he was 2/3rds the way up the cliff.

Dude disappeared, but had my key. Do I go surfing, the waves looked so good…. existential crisis. I couldn’t drive away anyway. Up pulls a buddy who saw what I saw on the outside bank. He had a plan, jump in and we’ll survey.

Sure enough, the thief saw me leave and went for the truck. When we arrived on foot, he had my wallet in his hand and was closing the drivers side door. Let’s just say we touched him up a bit while a shocked woman flagged down a cop.

HBPD arrive and we knew both officers. Thief was a local drug addict, his brothers were famous for Thai stix in the day. We agreed to come in to the station AFTER our surf! Unfortunately, my truck was issued a parking citation and I still didn’t have the key as it was taken in for evidence.

My friend and I were awarded Crime Fighter of the Month award from HB. Took a photo with the police chief and Mayor for the Register! The perp had been wanted for some time.

Now we had a bounty on our heads, his entire family knew our names, that we had fucked up their brother and where we lived. That was fun.

Barnycle

Hey, Hip. Did you grow up surfing with Duane King, back in the day, who taught Sally Field to surf for Gidget? https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

Barrelled

He taught them all everything.

Fartblossom

Was not as lucky as you.

Rainy day at the local, the wind had just spun offshore and it was pumping. EMPTY (very rare).

Buried keys in the sand as I had for two decades. I always bury in random places, this time chose a spot that couldn’t be seen unless you were in the beach as a huge wall blocks the view. Pouring rain, beach was empty so I think I’m good, I go surf.

Get out an hour later. Looks like a dog had been digging where my keys were. WTF? Keys gone.

Got to my truck. Phone gone, wallet gone. Broke password on my iPhone in under 10 minutes. They contacted my bank and changed my logins to my account, locking me out, tried to increase my credit limit but were denied, so they moved $80K from savings onto my credit card to increase the limit via a negative credit balance. Note the majority of that spending took place AFTER I called the bank and told them my card was stolen…the person on the phone “accidentally” never shut it off. Bank calls my wife about unusual activity on the account, but the thief is using my phone to text with my wife like they were me: “I’m on the phone with the bank right now fixing everything.” etc.

Anyhow, I figured out the thief likely found my keys easy by tracing my footsteps on the beach. It was raining on and off, so the sand had crusted, meaning my footsteps were the only footsteps on the beach. Piece of cake for him.

deeks

Fucken brutal !!

c4

How did they get through your iPhone password when the FBI has trouble doing that?

Barrelled

123456?

c4

That’s what I’m thinking. I remember when those two isis freaks in SoCal killed a bunch of people. The FBI tried to get into their phones for weeks and couldn’t do it. They had to get help from Apple eventually

Hughe Johnson

When I was a grom in Carlsbad in the 80’s my shaper had his truck stolen at Terramar- stashed key. Ever since then I just use the key thing on my wetsuit or board shorts. Every surfer I know stashes their key under the bumper or some shit, and every time I see it happen I just wonder what the hell kook? Bros are always looking at me all confused when I pull my key off the wetsuit string. When the strings break I just go for the string around the neck style. How hard can it be Barneys?

BograilCutback

Astounding to me that people wouldn’t do just that. Fobs suck

Gil Gunderson

Would be good to get them I’m Aus. Stuck driving my wife’s Prado like a kuk.

southern gold

The real crime here is all those stupid fucking stickers plastered everywhere.

Mike

Kookmobile for sure!

@TheRealJackMeoff

If you can afford all those upgrades surely you can afford to throw an apple bag tracker in there too. Hell you can even probably afford a park pass so you don’t have to park on the street. You can pretty much kiss that car goodbye…

Barrelled

Thing is long across the border by now.

@TheRealJackMeoff

Or chopped to pieces…

Barrelled

Likely both

NEGATRON

Young dudes gonna young dude.

notsurfingtoday

When i was a young dude i had a young dude car. Maybe it was just me though.

NEGATRON

When I was in Oz it was a thing for young apprentices to tick up brand new cars. Nuts.

Jack John Johnson
NEGATRON

Can’t get new 4Runners here. Early 2000’s Japanese models were the last available ones here and still everywhere.

Barrelled

Never been able to get Troopy’s here. Not sure why they didn’t distribute them in the North American market but would have sold like hotcakes.

Barnycle

Likely its because of the high price and that they would have cannabalised sales of other models that were more profitable to sell. Toyota only sells Troopies to the government where I am, and would refuse to sell to the public. You have to pick them up in gov auctions, as the only way to get them and by then they’re usually in very rough shape.

Barrelled

Just looked it up and apparently its a result of the Seppo preference for luxury as opposed to bare bones off road beast. Also couldn’t meet US safety standards. Too fucking bad or I’d be driving one today instead of a Tundra.

Barnycle

The Prado filled the hole, right?

4Runner/ Fortuner is their second largest SUV, one below the Land Cruiser full-sized.

Barrelled

Pretty sure Sequoia’s take the top spot.

Barnycle

Cool. Think that the Sequoia with the V8 is called the Land Cruiser in some markets. And the next one down is the Prado, which is also marked as LC family but with smaller size and smaller engines.

Most places around the world tax private cars by the CC of the engine, making owning anything above a 2.0 expensive and anything above a 3.0 ridiculously expensive. So only people with more money than God, or government representatives with their tax free status, would think to buy a 4.0 or a 5.7 etc.

Barrelled

You can buy both Sequoia’s and Land Cruisers in the US so not likely the same vehicle with a different name. Sequoia is on the Tundra frame and chasis, LC is it’s own.

Not sure where you are at but that ain’t the case in the US. I drive a 5.7L, don’t have more $$ than Satan, and pay out the ass for fuel getting only about 14 mpg and fuel currently at $6.00 US per gallon.

Barnycle

Ouch!

notsurfingtoday

5.7L engine. Culture shock.
For reference i ride a 1.6 diesel peugeot that does 7L/100km. Which google tells me its about 1/3 of 14mpg.
Like that seinfeld quote – it’s European!

Barrelled

I prefer vehicles were my cheek doesn’t sit at the bumper level of the vehicles around me.

notsurfingtoday

When you live surrounded by other 5.7L tractors i guess that makes a difference!

Again as reference my car barely drives through (width-wise) a few streets around the city center. Old europe. 700 years ago cars were slightly smaller.

NEGATRON

Prados for mums. Every 2nd young bloke has or has had a 1990’s Surf. Heaps still on the road and holding value.
Those 90’s Toyota motors just keep on ticking.

Barrelled

Prado is a Land Cruiser. You cannot beat the 4-cylinder Toyota motor, goes forever and needs nothing but oil.

Barnycle

Prado had the 3.0 turbo diesel as the minimum sized engine for years over here. I’m sure with new, heavier taxation system they have smaller – sized, gasoline /petrol engines available.

With twin turbos / bi-turbos.

Jack John Johnson

Just like you can’t beat an all-electric trolling motor on a Pelican Catch Mode 110 kayak to hit up north of Pt. Conception.

Mike

How many pounds of batteries do you need for that trip?

Jack John Johnson

Depending on timing of day and wind not a lot. Gotta hug the shoreline as close as possible though when using the battery. The current one I’m using sits in a waterproof box with multiple usb ports so I can listen to Angine de Poitrine Vol 1 and 2 pre-surf.

Mike

Impessive👍! I’ll keep an eye out for you and your setup.

Jack John Johnson

Here’s my kayak registration #. Feel free to climb aboard anytime during Super El Niño.!

https://uploads.disquscdn.c…

Barrelled

NORTH of Conception??? Not buying that one. You be dead or stranded on a kayak without perfect timing.

Barnycle

I heard the Prado for mums thing when I visited Byron. Hard to believe as they’re such tough vehicles. And our tax system on large engines had them at over US$100,000 15 years ago. I gather that prices in Aus have also caught up and they’re all very expensive now.

When I grew up Prados were for millionaires.

@surfads

Family Prado is great though I do have it up on marketplace currently, too much money required for upkeep now it’s getting a bit older. Would love to get my hands on a 4 runner surf for beach car but they are
So hard to come by. Currently running a 20 year old Rav 4 I’ve christened Taylah

Barnycle

And in a way the 15-20 year old RAV4 has become what the 30 -40 year old 4Runner was. It’s not near as capable off road, but it fills the same utilitarian space of a trusty set of wheels with some extra height, that can go places where the wagon wont. First Gen Rav 4 was ugly as sin, but they’ve aged well as bangers. Second and third Gen improved the looks considerably.

Beef & Beer

Meanwhile
Ethan Ewing left an impression on the famed Raglan rocks

https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
Now that’s a solid backside attack…

Barrelled

There are so many “idiot” blips to pull from that story.
1. Almost everything about the truck itself screams idiot.
2. The lift screams idiot.
3. Stashing a key screams idiot (since just about every wetsuit made has a way to stash a key).
4. Fake student driver magnet screams idiot.
5. More than anything else, surfing 20th in Huntington makes you an idiot.

Rich Marx

The key stashing thing needs to be specifically called out. Avoiding crime is just forcing the criminal to work harder or spend more time to steal from you than someone else.

Hippy

EVERYONE has hidden their keys.

Newer keys can’t be in your wetsuit, gotta make sure you bring your valet key

Picard Madeoff

Have you seen the guy in the lineup with a dry bag attached to his soft top?

Rich Marx

When I would hide keys at car change spots I’d take a towel to the beach, wrap my towel around it, and place it where I could see it from the lineup.

Com Turren

Had an epic session there the day Hurricane Hilary rolled in though.

Barnycle

The exception that proves the rule.

Com Turren

I was a pretty happy idiot that morning though

Hippy

Yesterday, for example

Hippy

Barrelled has no idea how good it gets.

Occ Topus

All of the above.
I feel bad that the d00d’s car was stolen, but what kind of fool leaves their key around the vehicle? Especially in a ghetto like HB.

Hippy

If the swell lines separate, excellent peaks for miles. Full playground

Otherwise accurate

Picard Madeoff

6. Watching the guys watch you stash the key screams “I want my SUV stolen”

Surely this is a fake story!

pipspuss

Could always try the Steve McQueen trick in Papillon and stick the fob in your bum hole.

Gil Gilbert

Are sprinters easy to steal? Raptors? Would be a lot less kooky if they were


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