Missing instruments returned to students with help from good Samaritan

SEBASTOPOL, CA -- A California high school band's instruments vanished in August when they were at AT&T Park to play the national anthem. Now, those instruments are back where they belong, and it's all thanks to a homeless man.

Band members at Analy High School thought that finding their instruments was a lost cause, but thanks to a good Samaritan -- a homeless man -- the student musicians got their precious instruments back on Tuesday.

"I don't have the words to describe it. I don't know. It just feels amazing," band member Annabel Zamudio said.

Zamudio got her flute back. It was one of 14 musical instruments of the Analy High School Band that went missing two months ago.

The instruments were accidentally left in a bin at the stadium parking lot as they were packing to leave.

When band instructors realized they were gone, they went back but the instruments had disappeared. Most of them belonged to the students.

"My mom had it since she started playing the flute, which was when she was in the fifth grade. So we've had it in our family for 35 years," band member Camryn Dierke said.

No one thought they'd ever see the instruments again.

"I thought they'd be gone for good, considering it's San Francisco and a lot of things happen there," band member Alysea Reed said.

On Thursday, band director Kelly Stewart got a phone call from a woman named Jaclyn "Jaq" Waks, who had the instruments.

"I just couldn't believe it. It was mind-blowing," Stewart said.

Waks' friend, a homeless man who collects tin cans at the stadium parking lot, found the bin with the instruments.

He stayed with it for an hour, thinking someone would retrieve them. When no one did, he stashed them in his hovel near AT&T Park for safekeeping.

Eventually, he brought the instruments to Waks, asking if she could keep them.

"I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this is a band's.' And he said, 'I know, I know. But I don't know whose and I don't know what to do with it and I can't keep it under the street,'" Waks said.

Waks then began searching the Internet to find the rightful owners. She found Wayne Freedman's story, which he reported shortly after the instruments went missing.

"So she watched the story and figured out that it was Analy High School and how to find us," Stewart said.

There were hugs on Tuesday when band members got their prized possessions back.

The students wanted to personally thank their homeless hero, but he could not be found.

"If he's out there, I'd really like to personally thank him for getting these back to us. It's such a nice thing to do," band member John Gause said.