Family’s RV Returned From Burning Man With Thousands in Damage

A family in Redwood City says their summer side hustle just turned into a legal headache. They had been renting out their 2023 Coachmen RV to make some extra cash, and everything was going fine until one renter, according to them, decided to go completely off script.

The owner, Ronnie Tito, told KRON4 that the one rule he had for renters was clear: don’t take the RV to Burning Man. It was written in the contract. He even followed up with the renter, Siobhan Shiv Curry, to double-check. The reply? Not going to Burning Man, just a regular camping trip.

So what happened? The RV went to Burning Man.

Ronnie says they figured it out because the renter removed an AirTag from the keychain, apparently thinking that was the only one, but didn’t realize there was a second one hidden inside the RV. That tracker showed the vehicle was sitting right in the middle of Black Rock City during the festival.

And it wasn’t just GPS data. Friends of the Tito family reportedly saw the RV at the event. Same license plate. No real doubt at that point.

Now the RV is back, and according to Ronnie, it’s in bad shape. He’s estimating tens of thousands of dollars in damage to the exterior alone. But it’s not just the physical mess. He says there’s depreciation, lost time, and the general stress of dealing with something that should’ve never happened in the first place.

He tried calling out Curry face-to-face when the RV was returned, but said he didn’t get any real answers. Curry signed the paperwork and left. As of the KRON4 report, he hadn’t responded to calls or texts either.

The family’s legal team, Goethals & Stone PC, sent a statement to KRON4 that said:

“My clients look forward to pursuing all available avenues to make them whole for any losses suffered.”

So now it’s heading to court.

Ronnie says he’s already blacked out the Burning Man dates on the rental calendar going forward. Probably not a bad move.

This whole situation is a pretty good wake-up call for anyone thinking about renting out their RV to complete strangers.

Even with a signed contract, written rules, and direct communication, things can still go sideways. The owners were clear about one thing – don’t take it to Burning Man – which is notorious for dust storms, mud pits, and hard partying. It’s not covered by many insurance policies for a reason.

And yet, here we are.

What stands out isn’t just the damage (though that’s bad enough). It’s the fact that someone went out of their way to avoid being tracked, knowing full well they were breaking the agreement. That kind of risk is something no rental platform can fully protect against.

And this isn’t the first time this has happened. Here’s a TikTok video showing the results of another RV rental after it was returned from Burning Man.

@thebrandinbrandon Speechless. #rv #rvlife #rvrental #disgusting #disappointed ♬ I Wanna Go Home – Fat Cat

For RV owners, it’s a reminder: you’re handing over one of your biggest assets to someone who may not treat it with the same care you would. And even if you win in court, you’re still stuck with the downtime, the stress, and possibly a big repair bill in the meantime.

Bottom line: renting out your RV might seem like easy money, until it isn’t.

The video report was first aired by KRON4 News, and you can view the full segment below: