[UPDATE:] A DeKalb County family turned to the community for help after someone stole their van equipped with a wheelchair lift, sharing their story and pictures of the vehicle on social media.
On Wednesday, four days after the van was taken, DeKalb police announced that it had been recovered.
“Thank you to all who shared! We have recovered the van and it will be returned to the family shortly,” the department tweeted.
[ORIGINAL STORY:] Jordyn Engelberg was going places: She was graduating from high school, planned to study art at a small school in Detroit, and was excited about the future. A horrific car wreck changed everything.
Nearly five years later, Jordyn and her family are hopeful she’ll again be able to leave her home. But over the weekend, someone stole the family’s van equipped with a wheelchair lift from outside their DeKalb County apartment.
“We’re stuck here,” Ruth Batchelor, Jordyn’s mother, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Without transportation, we’re tethered to this apartment complex.”
In May 2016, Jordyn suffered a traumatic brain injury, broken pelvis, and torn bladder in a three-vehicle crash hours before her Jefferson High School graduation. Now at 23, she is fully dependent on others for her care, her mother said. Jordyn interacts with her parents, though she’s unable to speak, eat, or walk.
Credit: Family photo
Credit: Family photo
The family’s van, a 2000 tan Ford E250, allows Batchelor to get her daughter to her various medical appointments and to visit her father on weekends. But it’s more than just transportation because the van gives Jordyn a sense of freedom, allowing her the opportunity to leave home and experience other places.
“This van is what offers her the best quality of life,” Batchelor said. “Getting her out into the real world is how we take steps at stimulating her brain.”
Batchelor said she last saw the van Saturday evening parked outside the family’s Decatur Crossing apartment. On Sunday afternoon, Batchelor’s husband, Jordyn’s stepfather, noticed the van was gone while taking Jordyn outside for a walk.
The Batchelors called DeKalb police and filed a report. Meanwhile, Keith Batchelor went on Facebook to share details about the theft. By Monday, his post had been shared more than 1,000 times. One person who saw the post told the Batchelors he believes he saw the van near his home about a half-mile away and has surveillance video that he’s shared with police.
Anyone who spots the van or has any information on the theft is asked to contact DeKalb police.
If their van isn’t located, the family will be faced with buying another van, which Ruth Batchelor estimates would cost around $25,000 to include all the features needed to transport Jordyn. The lift kit and ramps, along with tie-downs that keep the wheelchair steady, would amount to at least $10,000, Batchelor said.
Friends have organized a GoFundMe page to help the family replace the van if it’s not located. On the page, Batchelor explains to others that whoever took the van took away more than just a vehicle.
“The loss of this van isn’t about losing a thing,” she wrote. “It’s about losing the added mobility which has provided her (Jordyn) better health and a better life.”
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