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(Above) A classic 1964 Ford Mustang like this was stolen in broad daylight from its private off-street, indoor parking spot by a thief who apparently walked through a broken front garage door.

9-Jan-22 – For many classic and muscle car enthusiasts, it doesn’t get much better than owning a red mint-condition 1964 Ford Mustang convertible. It’s the epitome of the classic American automobile, a touchstone and cultural icon of a bygone era in world history, a car that helped define a generation.

But for Amy Halvorsen, it is the cause of a broken heart, after the car was stolen in broad daylight on October 4, 2021, from its indoor, private Gold Coast parking spot.

The car was a gift from her fiancé, Fred, who gave it to her in 2018 for her birthday. Two years later, Fred died.

The car was photographed leaving the open garage at Newberry Plaza at 3:58 p.m. on October 4, and last seen by a police POD camera at 6:00 p.m., the same day, nine miles south at 400 East 67th Street. It has not been spotted since, despite a $20,000 reward.

“I’m sick over this loss,” said Halvorsen. “I was so sentimental over her. I never drove it. I was afraid to take her out.”

She says at auction, the car could have gone for $70,000 to $90,000.

Photo provided by Amy Halvorsen

(Above) Photo provided by Halvorsen of her 1964 Ford Mustang before it was stolen.

“Fred bought the car and put $57,000 into the restoration. It was a real gem,” she said.

What’s making it worse now, she says, is the response she’s getting from 11 East Partners LLC – the company that owns and manages the garage and much of the commercial space at Newberry Plaza – and her condominium association.

She says building employees have told her that only four of ten security cameras in the garage were working at the time of the theft, and that the garage door is broken and left open 24 hours a day.

Halvorsen asked the building for their outside video footage, as there are many cameras attached to the building’s exterior, but they told her she would need a court order to get access.

After police detectives told her she did not need a court order, the management office invited her to view some of the video.

Newberry Plaza

“They only showed me one video, not showing the face of the driver. They told me I did not need to see the other videos as they did not show the car leaving.”

The one video she saw shows the car being driven away, but the view of the thief is blocked.

A police POD camera snaps a photo of it driving away at Rush & Oak two minutes later at 4:00 p.m.

“The building should be responsible for the security of that garage,” she says. “There is so little concern about our safety. What’s happening in this building is appalling. Something as important as this, and they won’t warn people. It makes me want to scream.”

As recently as December 17, the garage door was still broken and left open, day and night, according to Halvorsen.

Halvorsen says there are other collector cars in the garage, covered in tarps, and there were two unsuccessful attempts to steal two motorcycles. But when she asked building management and her condo association to warn residents about the security risks, Halvorsen says she was told they did not want to “create a panic” and they refused to send out an alert.

She sent out a note herself to more than 400 residents at Newberry Plaza. Building management, however, is “still not doing anything to tighten security.”