POLICE have appealed for help after a family’s van, specially modified to transport their terminally ill son, was stolen by heartless thugs.
The vehicle was stolen from a car park outside the Cariazo family home in Hackney, London on Tuesday.
The family’s grey Ford Transit van had special modifications to help transport their terminally ill son Elijah, who was born with a rare muscular condition called myotubular myopathy, which makes it difficult for him to breathe and swallow.
As such, wheelchair-bound Elijah, 13, requires the specially modified van – which took nine months to fully build – which his heartbroken mum Onessa is now pleading for thieves to return so her son can “see in his final days”.
Video footage of the theft shows the yobs entering the car park in the early hours of the morning and stealing the modified van.
The pair can be seen wearing black hooded tops and stay ducked down behind the front of the van to stay hidden.
One of the pair then comes round to the driver’s side door of the vehicle and pauses for a moment, conferring with his nefarious colleague.
Obscured by a tree, their actions are hard to make out on the CCTV footage but one of them appears to do something which causes the vans lights to turn on.
Managing to get the door open, the thief at the driver’s side climbs into the vehicle and prepares to take off, shutting the door behind him.
His pal, standing at the front of the van, holds a hand up to his mouth in a shushing gesture before moving round to the passenger side.
The vans rear lights and brake lights come on as the pair seemingly figure out how to start the special vehicle.
They then drive off, reversing the invaluable van out of its parking space, turning and driving off into the night.
Discovering the van was missing in the morning, the family reported the theft to the Met Police who are now appealing for the public’s help in retrieving the vehicle.
In a statement issued yesterday Sergeant Adam Hunter of the Haggerston Safer Neighbourhood team said: “The Met takes every theft seriously, but this case is of particular concern to us due to the type of vehicle and the time sensitive nature of the investigation.
“Officers are based in the area and are well known within the community.
“They are conducting house-to-house enquiries and trawling through hours of CCTV footage to track down the van, but time is of the essence so we are appealing to the public for any information they may have.”
Elijah’s mother, Onessa added: “I am appealing to everyone to keep an eye out for Elijah’s lifeline, this is not just a vehicle, it is our road to freedom.
“Without it, our poor boy cannot see in his final days. Every day is an extension, and we thank God.
“This vehicle cannot be easily replaced, and it is his 14th birthday in a few short days.
“We had hoped to take him away with his medical team to enjoy the surroundings of the countryside which he loves so much.
“If you see a vehicle of this colour parked up unattended or don’t recognise it, please report it to the police, it may be nothing, but we need everyone to keep their eyes peeled and thank them in advance, this means so much to our family.”
A social media post containing the CCTV footage was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “Police are appealing for the public’s help to recover a specially modified van, stolen from Hackney.
“The theft of the grey Ford Transit Custom, that has been specifically converted by the Cariazo family to transport their terminally ill son Elijah.”
The post has since received dozens of likes and comments from social media users left appalled by the heartless thugs’ theft.
One user said: “Oh no, I hope the lowlife that stole it has a heart and returns it.”
Another added: “They have been watching that car and most probably local because they knew exactly where to go to not be seen by the cameras.”
A third said: “Distasteful t***s. Hope they get caught.”
And a fourth added: “So sad, I hope that they get it back.”
ENDS
