Brian Taylor opens up on family drama after AFL icon's car stolen in home invasion
The former Richmond and Collingwood player has recounted the scary incident.
AFL commentator Brian Taylor has recounted the scary moment his car was stolen in a home invasion while he and his wife were sleeping. The former Collingwood player lifted the lid on the drama on his 'Life of Brian' podcast this week, revealing he and wife Tanya were asleep in the house and sons Harrison and Jesse were also there.
Harrison explained on the podcast how he came home around 11.30pm and found out the car was gone. “During that day I had my Christmas party, it was a great event, went from around midday to eight o’clock," he said.
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"After that I was lucky enough to score some tickets to Eric Prydz ... went to that, had a great night, wasn’t overly pissed or anything. Was home around 11:30pm, came inside and probably head on the pillow just after 12.
“The next thing I know, Tanya Taylor (mum) comes into my room, we’re all asleep, the guard dog didn’t do much this particular night … Tanya comes into my room saying someone’s stolen all our keys, dad’s car’s gone, my handbag’s gone, blah blah, real tears. I’m half asleep wondering what the hell is going on.”
Taylor then revealed staggering details about how the family waited for the burglar to return in the hope they would catch them. “About 3am in the morning, everyone is up in bed and we have a sense that because all of the keys to all of the cars have gone and only one car has physically gone and we had a sense they’d come back for the other cars,’’ he said.
“We hid in ambush at three o’clock in the morning, peering around corners waiting for someone to come back with the key fob and press unlock and then we would then be able to see and grab the guy. It was a strange ute that pulled up in the street and hovered around there ... just a weird sort of set up.”
Brian Taylor's sons 'made citizen's arrest' of wrong person
Harrison said he and Jesse then chased who they thought was the perpetrator. “I was peering out the garage door and had eyes on the car because we thought this might happen, and the amber lights went off and Jesse and I immediately went sprinting out to the car,” he said.
“Jesse legged it after the guy down Brunswick Street and I went down Johnston Street and we met up just after the 7-Eleven there. He had pulled in, either he was submitting or I don’t know what he was doing.”
Brian interjected “you made a citizen’s arrest and really in the end, he’s been exonerated", before Harrison said: “He has been exonerated, he had an alibi and I don’t think he’s the guy, although I’m still suspicious."
Taylor said he got his Toyota Landcruiser Sahara back the next day after it was left just 600m down the road. “The question is would we and should we leave all of our keys on the kitchen table so that if someone invades our privacy again, they can just take the keys and the cars and therefore they don’t stab us,” he confessed.
“Or do we take the keys and put them in the bedroom with each individual and therefore they will come into the bedroom to steal the keys next time. It is a bit of a quandary.”
The 61-year-old Taylor played 43 games for Richmond and 97 for Collingwood during an 11-year career from 1980 to 1990. He kicked 527 goals and was his club's leading goal-kicker in seven seasons (two with the Tigers and five with the Pies). He has since forged a successful career in the media and is one of the most recognisable voices in AFL commentary.
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