Local News

Handicapped-accessible van stolen from family of disabled 8-year-old in Brockton

"Now it's like I have one leg. You can walk, but you don't have support to walk."

A red 2012 Toyota Sienna, modified to allow for wheelchair entry, was stolen from Sandra Tavares' Brockton home. Google Maps

By Eli Curwin

1 minute to read

In 2016 a car accident left Sandra Tavares’ then 2-year-old son, Nayden Tavares, with several physical disabilities. On Saturday, the handicapped-modified van that she has used to transport Nayden was stolen from their Brockton home.

Tavares says the red 2012 Toyota Sienna, modified to allow for wheelchair entry through the back, has been essential to transporting her now 8-year-old son since the 2016 car accident. And when she left her car running outside her home while she went to grab something inside, the van was gone.

“Please give me my van back,” she implored in an interview with Boston.com. “Now it’s like I have one leg. You can walk, but you don’t have support to walk.”

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Tavares said she has been driving around with a friend looking for her missing vehicle since Saturday, and has contacted police with security camera footage of the theft. The footage, while only 15 seconds long, shows three people entering the van.

As Brockton police investigate, Tavares is hoping the people who stole the car consider returning it and is encouraging people to be on the lookout for the red Sienna with the license plate number 1MNM47.

“The van means a lot because I use it to transport him everywhere,” she said.

Anyone with information may call Brockton Police at 508-941-0200.

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