COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A local family was ready to start their new year with their brand new home inside a brand new subdivision. But thieves struck right before Christmas.
At first, it was wonderful for Whitney Sully. She was buying a home with her family at the Village at Stone Cliff off Sunbury Road, NBC 4's Mike Bowersock reported.
"We're very excited to finally have our first home and move in and be a family," she said.
She was supposed to close on the house Monday, but last weekend, someone broke into the Sully family's home.
"The stove is gone. And the microwave is gone. The furnace is gone and the water heater is gone. The refrigerator is tore up. They were trying to fit it through the door, but it wouldn't fit," Sully said.
All of the home's appliances were stolen with the exception of the refrigerator.
The incident isn't unusual, though.
Police who were investigating the crime Monday said there have been other thefts at the complex, adding that nationally, it has become an immense problem.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, it is estimated that one in 30 new homes under construction will have their appliances stolen before the new owners move in.
Some home builders are installing GPS chips into the appliances in order to track them if they're stolen.
Sully will have her appliances replaced by the builder, but her move-in date has been delayed.
"It's just hurtful that someone would be so rude that they'd break into someone's home right before Christmas and take everything," she said.
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