Sag Harbor Couple Robbed On Road Sees Dreams Derailed

SAG HARBOR, NY — A Sag Harbor couple who set out to see the world and capture their dreams through art and music were derailed after a robbery.

Ingrid and Matty Liot created a GoFundMe page, "Ingrid/Matty Robbery Recovery Fund" and shared their soul-crushing experience.

On February 10, they said, three men broke into their van while it was parked at a public lot in Montañita, Ecuador during the day. They took all the couple's electronics: laptops, hard drives, voice recorders, cameras and several lenses, as well as thousands of dollars' worth of equipment.

"Not only did the thieves took all our expensive gear but the memories of three years on the road, meaning digital archives, plus the journals and sketchbooks that were in our bags," they said.

It took Ingrid, a photographer, 10 years to collect all the camera gear that was stolen in minutes; Matty, a musician and artist, had all his art projects and music recordings stolen, along with his computer and Tascam recorder, the couple said.

"This robbery left us crippled," with Ingrid unable to work as a freelance photographer, or for them to update their travel blog, which brought in a small income on the go, they explained.

In addition, they said, the robbery made it almost impossible for them to keep documenting their journey.

"The art and book projects we had planned for the end of our trip are now gone, with no way to get any of the collected material back," the said.

"This is a situation that made us rethink our goal to get to Patagonia, which was a dream since we left on this journey three years ago. We have been traveling and left the comforts of home because we believe in freedom and following your dreams, but we felt extremely disappointed when this happened to us . . . After thinking it through we agreed on continuing and not letting this episode bring us down," they said.

Now, the goal is to forge ahead, inspiring others to follow their dreams, documenting their journey and sustaining themselves — but they need help to replace their gear.

"Please help us recover from this horrible crime," the couple said.

To donate, click here.

Photo courtesy GoFundMe.