SUV, wheelchair stolen from St. Paul man with ALS

St. Paul wheelchair stolen, police asking help

A 24-year-old St. Paul man with ALS had his wheelchair stolen when his SUV was stolen with it inside. St. Paul Police are now asking the community to keep an eye out for both in the hopes of their return.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man in St. Paul was devastated when he woke up Monday morning to discover that his way of getting around and staying connected to the world was stolen.

Kyle Schultz is one of the youngest people in the entire region with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. On Monday morning, he looked outside and realized his 2012 Chevy Tahoe was missing from his driveway. But if having his SUV stolen wasn’t bad enough, the story gets worse.

"I just want my chair back," Schultz said.

His power wheelchair, his ramps, and the vest for his service dog, 7-year-old Deuce, were inside his vehicle when it was stolen. His doorbell video captured the moments someone checked out the SUV before getting inside and driving away.

"I was just devastated. I called my mom, and I could barely even breathe," Schultz said. "The most joy I get out of my days is taking my dog out to the park and riding my chair."

Two and a half years ago, Schultz was just 24 when he was diagnosed with ALS, a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Doctors gave him a life expectancy of one to three years, and he continues to lose more of his mobility.

"With the truck being gone and his wheelchair gone, I don't even know what we're going to do," said Schultz’s mom, Jodi Halverson. "I don't have any idea. I'm just lost."

Halverson called St. Paul police. Officers are people to keep their eyes peeled for the chair and vehicle Schultz depends on. They were taken from his driveway, which is in an alley near Jenks Avenue and Greenbriar Street.

"You don't think it would happen to you until it does happen, and it's unfortunate that it just happened to be a kid that's terminally ill. They just took my whole lifeline that's in that vehicle," Schultz said. "I'm just so disappointed in the community, and I can't believe that someone would even do something like that."

Schultz was planning on selling the Tahoe to help pay for a wheelchair-accessible van. His family has set up a GoFundMe.

His vehicle is a 2012 Chevy Tahoe with the license plate MN GKB-060. If anyone sees the Tahoe or Schultz’s wheelchair, they’re asked to call 651-291-1111.