Van For Paralyzed Teen Stolen
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A run of horrible luck continues for a paralyzed Chicago teenager.
The specially-made van he used for transportation was stolen by thieves from the 600 block of East 43rd Street before 6 a.m. Wednesday.
The teen's mom, Deetreena Perteet, looked out her bedroom window only to see the family van -- the only vehicle she's ever owned -- being driven away.
"I'm like, 'Oh my God, my son's going to be devastated.' I don't have any way to get him out. That's his lifeline," she told CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot.
The family's 1998 red Dodge minivan was equipped to transport her son Ondelee Perteet's wheelchair.
Car dealership owner Jerry Moore gave the family the van after Ondelee, a Chicago Public Schools student, was shot after breaking up a fight. The 2009 shooting left him paralyzed. He's slowly regaining movement and needs the van to get to physical therapy.
"I use that van for everything. I need to go pick up his medications, from Walgreens, I need to go grocery shopping for the kids -- you know, family outings," his mother says. "We still want to have a life."
Police sent out a "flash message" with a description of the stolen vehicle but as of noon Thursday, it has not been found.
Wentworth Area detectives are investigating.
Contributing: Sun-Times Media Wire
