The last of ’80s rocker’s stolen instruments found by NJ police

☑️ The vintage guitars were stolen from a concert setup for Heart at the Hard Rock

☑️ The mandolin was located with limited information about who had it

☑️ A Pleasantville man is charged with burglary and theft

ATLANTIC CITY — The mandolin stolen from a member of the band Heart has been found.

Atlantic City police said the 1966 Gibson EM-50 mandolin stolen from Heart’s concert setup inside the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino on May 31 was found by detectives who were working with a limited description of who may have had the instrument. Once they located the individual, they handed the vintage guitar over.

The mandolin will be returned to the Hard Rock who will give it back to guitarist Paul Moak who has used it for the past 25 years. Before its return, Nancy Wilson wrote on her Facebook page that the mandolin has “tremendous sentimental and musical value.”

“I could not be prouder of the work done by the detectives in our Criminal Investigations Section,” Atlantic City Police Chief James A. Sarkos said. “They understood the sentimentality of these instruments and worked incredibly hard to bring them home.”

ALSO READ: Nancy Wilson blasts Trump for using Heart song at military parade

Guitars sold to strangers

The custom-built, one-of-a-kind purple sparkle baritone Telecaster that belongs to Heart co-founder Nancy Wilson was found on June 9.

Atlantic City police said they were able to use surveillance video to determine where Garfield Bennett, 57,  went after the guitar and mandolin were stolen from Heart's concert setup inside the Mark Etess Arena.  Video shows Bennett selling the one-of-a-kind purple sparkle baritone Telecaster to a woman on Pacific Avenue, who then put it into a vehicle, police said.

Bennett is charged with burglary and theft and being held at the Atlantic County Jail on separate, unrelated charges, according to court records.

Report a correction 👈 | 👉 Contact our newsroom