Thieves Make Honeymoon Tragedy Even Worse

Couple's belongings were stolen after husband drowned at Hawaii beach
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 12, 2023 4:22 PM CDT
After Husband Drowns, Thieves Steal Couple's Wallets, Car
Stock photo of Electric Beach, a popular snorkeling spot in Oahu.   (Getty Images/digidreamgrafix)

A California man on his honeymoon died in a snorkeling accident in Hawaii—and while rescuers were fighting to revive him on an Oahu beach, somebody made his wife's day even worse. A witness tells KHON2 that a thief snatched the wife's belongings while rescuers were performing CPR on San Jose resident Steven Phan, 49, who was later pronounced dead at a hospital. "While snorkeling tragedy struck and Steven, Brittany’s husband of all but 3 months, drowned," a GoFundMe page says. "As If this could not be worse, all of Brittany and Steven’s belongings were stolen, the thieves took their cell phones, wallets, money, clothing, they even stole their car rental."

Police are investigating a theft and auto theft related to the June 1 tragedy at Electric Beach, "That's just unreal, you question that person as a human being," spear fisherman Shin Tamashiro tells KITV. Phan was a manager at Apple in Cupertino. He married Brittany Meyers Phan on March 20. "We are all shocked, in disbelief, and heartbroken at the loss of such a great man as Steven. Steven always found a way to be a part of everyone's lives, no matter the distance," says the GoFundMe page, which has almost reached its $30,000 goal.

Relatives say Brittany Phan was still stuck in Hawaii on Friday, trying to obtain ID to fly back to California for her husband's funeral. "They were there on their honeymoon, just the two of them. As if the tragedy itself wasn't difficult enough, now she has to go through the logistics, a witness tells KHON2, "because she can’t travel back to home without an ID. She has to go through the due process at the airport to verify. It’s a mess." (More Hawaii stories.)

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