A man has been arrested for stealing two “one-of-a-kind” instruments from Heart, but the instruments he is accused of taking from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City – including a custom Fender Telecaster – are still missing.
As reported last week, the band had set up at the venue ahead of the first night of their latest tour but were shocked to find that two instruments had been brazenly stolen.
The perpetrator, 57-year-old Garfield Bennett of Pleasantville, had managed to enter the venue undetected and walk out with the instruments. He then began trying to sell them on Atlantic City’s streets.
He was spotted with the instruments on CCTV in various locations and successfully sold one to a currently unknown buyer. Bennett was arrested on the Kentucky Avenue beach block, close to the Atlantic City boardwalk. Police are trying to track down the person who bought one of the instruments from him, while the whereabouts of the other remains a mystery.
Nancy Wilson’s custom-painted Telecaster baritone guitar, and a mandolin that Paul Moak has been performing with for 25 years, were the two instruments swiped from the band on the eve of their US tour.
“These instruments are more than just tools of our trade – they’re extensions of our musical souls,” Wilson had said as the news broke.
“The baritone Tele was made uniquely for me, and Paul [Moak]’s mandolin has been with him for decades. We’re heartbroken, and we’re asking for their safe return – no questions asked. Their value to us is immeasurable.”
Speaking to Fox 29 News about the theft, Wilson explains: “We set up the gear the night before the first show. Somehow, somebody with a hoody, that they caught on CCTV, did a drive-by and nabbed them.
“The perpetrator is in custody now, but the instruments are still not found.”
Atlantic City police have appealed to the public to help return the instruments to the band.
“Any individual in possession of these stolen items is urged to contact the Atlantic City Police Department and voluntarily surrender the instrument,” it says. “If not surrendered, and the individual is located in possession of the stolen items, they will be arrested and criminally charged with receiving stolen property.”
Heart’s current US tour dates were originally slated for 2024, but Ann Wilson’s cancer treatment postponed them until now.
Ahead of the rescheduled tour, Nancy Wilson had spoken to Guitar World about the legacy of their 1985 self-titled record 40 years on, and how the shifting musical landscape of the time forced the band to modernize their sound.
We’re asking for their safe return – no questions asked. Their value to us is immeasurable
Nancy Wilson
“I guess the acoustic guitar was a little out of step with the digital ’80s,” she had said in light of producer Ron Nevison suggesting the guitarist should go full electric. He felt the change was needed to keep in step with contemporary audiences.
“We decided that if we wanted to survive, we probably needed to have some kind of major reset. If we wanted to fit in with the whole new MTV era, we had to adapt to survive.”
