A Fresno City College student has been reunited with his saxophone one week after it was stolen.

Steven San Sebastian’s saxophone was stolen a week before the opening of “Waiting for Lefty,” the theatre department’s play in which the theatre arts major portrayed an ensemble character, playing music during the show.

The instrument was stolen early in the morning on Sept. 23, while San Sebastian was having a game night with his friends. He said he usually does not leave his belongings in his truck, but because he parked alongside his friends’ cars, he did not think he would have an issue.

However, at 2 a.m., San Sebastian saw that his truck was broken into, with the back window shattered. His saxophone and two backpacks were gone.

San Sebastian called the Fresno Police Department and filed a police report, providing information about the saxophone, except for the instrument’s serial number. He then called The Horn Shop, where he got the instrument, in order to obtain the serial number.

San Sebastian called the Fresno Police Department, adding the serial number to the case report.

“I was under the assumption that it would be done by the end of that day,” San Sebastian said.

While this was happening, the people who stole the saxophone went to Gottschalk Music Center in Clovis, attempting to sell the instrument to the music store.

“They gave us a story that it was an heirloom from their family,” said Giovani Clemente, an instrument technician from Gottschalk Music Center. “But it was new, so I don’t know how it could have been an heirloom.”

Clemente told them to come back later, so that the store manager could take a look at the saxophone. They came back later, and Clemente and his boss took the instrument to “do some research on the saxophone and get a price.”

From there, the two Gottschalk Music Center employees called Fresno Police Department and Clovis Police Department, but neither had information on the instrument. As a result, not much could be done.

Online, San Sebastian asked friends to be on the lookout for his instrument. His post was shared more than 250 times on Facebook, and his story was featured on local news stations.

“It’s amazing that I put that post out at 3 a.m. and then by 3 p.m., it was already everywhere,” San Sebastian said.

The saxophone was found at the Fresno Hock Shoppe, a pawn shop where the instrument was sold for $600. The Fresno Police Department then notified San Sebastian on Sept. 30 that his instrument was found.

“I rushed down there immediately after work, and I picked [the saxophone] up,” said San Sebastian.

In order to get his instrument back immediately rather than go through court, San Sebastian paid the pawn shop the amount that they paid for it.

San Sebastian said the saxophone means much more to him than its price value. His father gave it to him when he transferred into University High School. The instrument is named after his great-aunt, Jessie, who first got him into music.

“She passed away about four years ago, so the saxophone has a lot more sentimental value than the $2,700 that it cost,” said San Sebastian.

Reunited with his saxophone, San Sebastian was able to share his instrument’s smooth sound with audience members during the opening night of the first FCC play of the fall semester.