'Ghostbusters'-themed Kia stolen in Silver Lake found damaged days later

LOS ANGELES - A woman is devastated after her beloved car was left damaged after it was stolen from her Silver Lake apartment garage. 

Erica Nese fashioned her car after the Ghostbusters' Ecto-1 car. She called hers the "Ecto-Kia." On Sunday, Nese said thieves took her prized Ghostbusters-themed car when they "dialed people's numbers on the call box," and walked right in.

"There was glass all over the floor where I parked," Nese recalled.

"During the pandemic, I obviously couldn't make any props for film or television, so I thought, my car is green, so what can I turn it into?" Nese said. "So I thought of Ghostbusters' Slimer."

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Her apartment is decorated in a Gothic or mystical theme. Like her car, she made stained glass-looking windows. 

Unfortunately, the theft of her prop-covered car is the latest of her troubles.

"I can't go anywhere, I had to cancel everything," Nese said, adding that she can't use ride-share services because she "can't afford it."

"I haven't really worked in a year because of the strikes and everything," Nese said. "All the shops have closed down. It's really hard to find even a normal job because I don't know how to do anything else."

Worse yet, she's been in and out of hospitals with various surgeries, and so, she said, "I have a lot of medical bills to pay as well. It's just a lot of devastation."

Her car was found in East Hollywood on Tuesday. However, much of her hard work in putting art all over the vehicle has been stripped away.

Looking at her returned car, she says, "I'm thankful that it's found, but I'm also really sad."