Couple’s motorhome stolen and destroyed, ruining summer travel plans

A Bergen couple’s motorhome was stolen and completely wrecked, leaving their summer travel plans in ruins, reports Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet.

Svein Tore Ellefseth and his wife Marit discovered their motorhome missing from a parking lot in Sandsli, near Bergen, on April 15. The vehicle had been parked ahead of a scheduled workshop visit the following day.

“I told my wife it had been stolen—she didn’t believe me at first,” Ellefseth told Dagbladet. Police confirmed the theft and issued a nationwide alert the same evening.

The couple later tracked the motorhome’s movements via toll records, showing it had passed through a toll station at 2:20 AM, then again half an hour later toward Bjørnafjorden municipality before disappearing. “They probably realised they could just rip off the toll tag,” Ellefseth said.

Police contacted the couple the next day, asking them to identify a recovered motorhome. Though the licence plates had been swapped, Ellefseth recognised it as his. Inside, they found the interior completely destroyed.

“The kitchen section with the gas stove was gone. The burners were torn out, the sink ripped away—everything,” he said. Camping gear, chairs, tables, a tent, and even the fridge had been either stolen or violently damaged. “They tried to rip out the fridge-freezer, and when they couldn’t, they wrecked it instead.”

Police suspect the motorhome had been driven off-road, possibly into a field, based on dirt and mud found on the tyres.

The couple had used the motorhome during Easter and had planned several summer trips. “This was our cabin on wheels,” Ellefseth said. “We’ve travelled all over Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and beyond.”

Now awaiting an insurance assessment, he doubts the vehicle can be repaired. “We could have kept using it if it had just been stolen. I’m at a loss—I feel sick. It’s a shock,” he said.

Police reportedly reacted with disbelief at the extent of the damage. Ellefseth urged other motorhome owners to install multiple alarm systems to prevent similar incidents. The couple plans to fit their next motorhome with a direct-alert system.

“All the good memories we had in that motorhome—every trip, every experience—it’s just heartbreaking,” he said.