Suspect Arrested In Theft Of Wheelchair From Leonia Teen With Cerebral Palsy

LEONIA, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A suspect was arrested late Friday in the theft of a wheelchair from a Leonia, New Jersey teenager who suffers from cerebral palsy.

Michael Peralta, 18, of Palisades Park, was being held at the Bergen County Jail early Saturday in connection with the theft, Leonia police said.

Leonia police Officer Sihoon Chung saw the suspect with the wheelchair while on patrol, police alleged. A second suspect remained at large, police said.

Police said the wheelchair was recovered.

The low-speed getaway was caught on camera. The motorized custom wheelchair belongs to a 14-year-old cerebral palsy patient identified to the media only as "Courtney."

The video shows a thief driving it out onto the sidewalk on Broad Avenue in Leonia heading south toward Palisades Park, CBS2's Lou Young reported Friday.

The teen and his mom live in a walk-up and the motorized wheelchair doesn't fit inside. They park it and transfer him to a conventional wheelchair figuring it's safe 15 yards from the street and sidewalk.

The building's own security cameras caught the apparent thieves hanging around outside the vestibule door, individually casing the place to make sure the mother and son had gone upstairs. One of them eventually made the move at about 3:40 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

The PBA had been offering $1,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the wheelchair and arrests of the thieves.