Sailor deployed on the USS Lincoln returns after 10 months to find his home burglarized

LEMOORE, Calif. (KMPH) - A sailor coming home after 10-month deployment on the USS Abraham Lincoln to find his SUV stolen and his apartment burglarized.

Connor Nelson said when he came home, the first thing he noticed was that his parking spot was empty.

“I just got back from the USS Abraham Lincoln’s deployment to the Middle East. I’ve been gone for about 10 months. I left November of 2025. Was super excited to come back home,” Nelson said.

Nelson’s excitement quickly faded when he came home Sunday to find his 1997 Toyota 4Runner missing.

“I noticed it was gone when I was pulling up in the Uber from the airport. And I was like, all right, well, that’s not great. But it probably just got towed, waiting in a lot,” he said.

But Nelson soon realized his missing SUV wasn’t the only problem.

“And then I go to unlock my front door and it just pushes right open,” he said.

Inside his apartment, he said the signs of a break-in were everywhere. His belongings were tossed around and his valuables were gone.

“They took a snowboard for me, golf clubs, fishing equipment. They took a laptop ... They took a TV that I had, sound bar,” he said. “I mean, just a whole bunch of stuff.”

Because he had been gone for 10 months, Nelson has no idea when it happened.

When his father, Justin Nelson, heard about it, he flew in from Minnesota.

As a Navy veteran of 22 years, Justin Nelson said he knows firsthand how much coming home means to a sailor.

“I know what it means to come home, you know, like what that means to a sailor,” Justin Nelson said. “And it is such a bright spot in a young sailor’s life to come home, and get that relaxation, see family, see friends. And just, you know, you have the sense of accomplishment. And that was kind of taken from him.”

Justin Nelson said Connor Nelson had saved money during his deployment with plans for what he wanted to do when he got home.

Instead, he’s now using it to replace what was stolen.

So, Justin Nelson decided to create a GoFundMe to help his son recover some of the losses.

“I knew everything that he had was taken, all of his valuables, all the things that he’s amassed for himself, since he’s been on his own, he’s got to replace all that. We’re gonna do everything we can with the funds to get him so he can enjoy himself,” he said.