“CODA” star Troy Kotsur temporarily lost two extremely valuable items this weekend.
The Academy Award winning actor — who is originally from Mesa, Arizona — was being honored in his hometown on Thursday, Aug. 11 for his historic Oscar win earlier this year.But, the momentous occasion was slightly soured when Kotsur’s Jeep was stolen with his Oscar inside a few days later.
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Deadline reports Kotsur brought the award with him to the special ceremony in Mesa and kept it in his vehicle.
In a statement sent to TODAY on Sunday, Aug. 14 the Mesa Police Department shared more details about the theft.
“We can confirm that Mr Kotsur’s vehicle was stolen and recovered last night here in Mesa,” the statement said. “Once Mr Kotsur notified the department of the theft, officers began their investigation and through investigative techniques, they located the vehicle with two juvenile male suspects inside.”
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Authorities said that the two juveniles — whose names were not released due to their ages — were charged with “theft of means of transportation” and were taken to the Maricopa County Juvenile Court System.
Following the incident, Kotsur was reunited with his Jeep — and his golden trophy for best actor in a supporting role.
“Mr. Kotsur had his vehicle returned to him to include all the property that was inside,” the statement concluded.
In a since-deleted tweet, Kotsur celebrated being reunited with his prized possession, writing, "A little kid stole my Jeep while I have Oscar award in my Jeep. The city of Mesa, Az found my Jeep and Oscar award too! Thanks!"
Kotsur currently resides in Mesa and gave the city a shoutout during his acceptance speech in March.
He made history at the 94th Academy Awards when he became the first deaf man to win an Oscar for acting.
“This is dedicated to the deaf community, the ‘CODA’ community and the disabled community,” Kotsur said in American Sign Language at the time. “This is our moment.”
In “CODA,” Kotsur portrays a fisherman whose daughter dreams of becoming a musician.
Kotsur previously shared with TODAY why starring in the award-winning drama was so important to him.
“In TV and film, they tend to have deaf characters as victims or sympathy characters,” he said, “unless it was based on a true story. In ‘CODA,’ Frank was a hardworking man who was successful and protected his family.”
He added, “Also, he has a vulgar sense of humor, so I was thrilled to show what deaf vulgarities in (American Sign Language) looked like on the big screen.”
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