Thieves in Blaine steal van modified to transport girl with special needs

Thieves took daughter's freedom, quality of life, Blaine woman says.

March 12, 2021 at 8:37PM
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Thieves drove off with the 2007 maroon Toyota Sienna sometime between 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday. It has been parked in the garage on the 12600 block of NE. Central Avenue, Blaine police said. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A mother is pleading for the public's help finding her van that she uses to transport her special-needs daughter after it was stolen from an underground parking garage in Blaine.

Thieves drove off with the 2007 maroon Toyota Sienna sometime between 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and 8 a.m. Thursday. It was parked in the garage on the 12600 block of NE. Central Avenue, said Blaine Police Capt. Mark Boerboom.

The van with license plate BGN002 has a blue and yellow eagle sticker on the back window. It features a modified side entry with a wheelchair ramp that Melissa Moos uses to transport her 6-year-old daughter.

"I am so angry, scared and sad," Moos wrote on Facebook. "Why would someone do this."

Detectives are reviewing surveillance video in hopes of identifying possible suspect information, Boerboom said.

The van ensures a safe way for the girl to get to her medical appointments and therapies, the family wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. A special-needs car seat and other adaptive equipment was inside the van when it was stolen, the post said.

"(Our daughter) cannot safely ride in a vehicle without her wheelchair or this car seat," the post said. "They didn't just steal a van they stole (her) freedom, and took away from her quality of life."

Anybody with information can call Blaine police at 763-785-6168.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768

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(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
573503591
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
573503592
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
573503591
ORG XMIT: QzSKETJXKvhfuTMlT2BH (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
573503592
ORG XMIT: QzSKETJXKvhfuTMlT2BH (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Tim Harlow

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Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather.

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