By Anna Ballweber, Valley News Live
FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – A Fargo family says they lost more than $80,000 dollars worth of items after their storage unit was broken into.
On July 28, 2025, Diana Helgeson went to check on her north Fargo storage unit, owned by Van Raden Properties, when she was met with something shocking.
“I drove up to it, and the lock was laying on the ground, just bent to crap. I went, ‘oh, no.’ We opened it, and it was a mess,” Helgeson said.
A heart-breaking find of her most cherished possessions, she said all of her boxes had been emptied.
The boxes contained hundreds of trains and tools her husband collected, who passed away just over a year ago.
“You know, it was hard enough take all of that stuff down after he passed away, that was quite sad. Now, to see these items get stolen, I mean, it’s awful,” she added.
Stolen items that are worth a fortune.
She said, “We figured out it has to be $80,000 dollars worth of trains and tools.”
Helgeson quickly contacted Van Raden’s Properties to report the theft, but said what they told her next was even more shocking.
“They told me 11 more units were broken into four days before I noticed my stuff was gone. They said the doors were open, and they just shut the doors. They didn’t even contact any of us to let us know… I mean, there’s probably still some people who don’t know they were broken into” she explained.
Valley News Live reached out to Van Raden Properties, who stated they did not wish to speak further about the break-ins. In a face-to-face conversation, they confirmed multiple thefts occurred and that they have no cameras overlooking the units.
With questions left unanswered, Diana’s next stop was asking the Fargo Police Department.
She said, “The cops said they’ll be watching the pawn shops, but whoever took them could have gone as far as the cities to sell them.”
Fargo Police told Valley News Live they received just one report of a break-in, and also confirmed no video footage is available.
They said this investigation is ongoing, and no suspects have been identified.
Diana is now left wanting her items back, and wanting change regarding the storage unit’s security protocols.
“I hope they have a little feeling for my feelings. Just put up cameras, working lights, something,” she said.
Valley News Live asked Van Raden Properties to send over a written statement regarding these security measures, in which they also declined.
Diana Helgeson has since filed a claim with her insurance, but said her family is expecting to get less than half of the money back of what the stolen items are actually worth.
