Willie Fulgear found the stolen statuettes in a Los Angeles garbage dump, becoming the unexpected protagonist of a story that surprised Hollywood.
He March 18, 2000just eight days before the 72nd Oscar Awardsthere was a robbery that shook the film industry: 55 Oscar statuettes They disappeared during transportation at a Los Angeles dock. This unexpected incident put the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on alert, which immediately activated a recovery operation, offering a reward of 50 thousand dollars to whoever could find the precious golden figures. In a short time, the disappearance and subsequent discovery of the statuettes became a story of intrigue worthy of a script. Hollywood.
The situation kept the Oscar organization in suspense, which feared not having the statuettes in time for the ceremony, hosted by Billy Crystal and with “American Beauty” as a great favorite. However, a surprising twist allowed most of the figures to be recovered in an unusual place and thanks to an unexpected hero, Willie Fulgearalthough not without raising suspicions about its discovery.
Oscar Awards.jpg
What was the theft of the Oscar statuettes like?
The story began on a dock Road Waylocated on the outskirts of Los Angeleswhere the statuettes were transported from the RS Owen factory in Chicago. Apparently, the thieves were unaware that the ten stolen boxes contained the coveted 24-karat gold-plated figures. After the incident, both The Los Angeles police and the FBI began an intense searchwhile the Academy assured that the ceremony would continue and that, if they did not recover the statuettes in time, new ones would be produced.
Despite the reward and intense research, Those responsible for the theft abandoned the statuettes in a garbage container in Corea TownLos Angeles. It was speculated that the criminals, seeing the intense search that caused the theft, decided to get rid of the shipment before being caught.
Willie Fulgear
How they found them
Willie Fulgeara man who was looking for boxes for his move, was the one discovered 52 of the 55 figurines in the dumpster. Upon noticing the unusual weight of one of the boxes, he decided to open it, finding inside the statuettes in their original packaging. After taking them home, he contacted a television channel, and then the police, who confirmed the authenticity of the figures.
Fulgear He was rewarded with 50 thousand dollars and became a temporary celebrity, even attending the Oscars ceremony as a special guest, where was hailed as the “savior” of the awards. However, in subsequent days, some media outlets began to suspect that he himself had been involved in the robberyalthough the authorities never found evidence to support such an accusation.
Source: Ambito
I’m a recent graduate of the University of Missouri with a degree in journalism. I started working as a news reporter for 24 Hours World about two years ago, and I’ve been writing articles ever since. My main focus is automotive news, but I’ve also written about politics, lifestyle, and entertainment.
