CLEVELAND — Cleveland Police continue to search for a suspect who stole a Provide A Ride van on Oct. 19 with a 77-year-old male client on board.
Ron, who didn’t want his last name used for safety reasons, said he’s worked for Provide A Ride for about 10 months. Ron said he was driving an elderly man home from a medical appointment and had to pick up another rider at Lakeview Tower on Washington Avenue in Cleveland.
The Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority released surveillance footage showing the suspect entering the vehicle and fleeing.
“I went in the building and rang the doorbell. So, I had to go get her because it's door-to-door service. When I came back, the vehicle was gone. I thought somebody pulled a prank (and) started looking around the parking lot.”
Ron said his cell phone and other communication equipment were in the van, so he had to use a stranger’s cell phone to call 911.
Police were able to use GPS tracking to locate the vehicle about half an hour after it was stolen. It was located near West 38th Street and Whitman Avenue, about a half-mile from where it had been taken. The client wasn’t harmed.
“He wasn’t really shaken up because he really didn’t know what was really going on,” Ron said. “He thought I was in the vehicle.”
Cleveland Police said the suspect faces theft, grand theft of a motor vehicle and kidnapping charges.
“In the 30-year history of this business, this is the first time this has ever happened,” said Michael Stull, vice president of operations at Provide A Ride. “I think at the time that he (suspect) realized that there was an occupant in the vehicle, he stopped doing what he was attempting to do.”
Provide A Ride offers a variety of services, including managing the transportation benefit program for more than 130,000 Ohio Medicaid and Medicare members. Stull said safety, reliability and compassion are the company’s cornerstones.
Stull said company protocol allows for drivers who are picking up riders to leave vehicles running with the keys inside, like Ron did, to keep clients cool or warm depending on the weather.
Stull said given the recent incident, protocols will be assessed.
“It’s a concern, and we’ll continue to address the physical security of our vehicles and the way that we conduct this in the future,” Stull said. He added, “We need to be aware of our surroundings. We need to be aware of the safety of our members, and we need to weigh those at every drop-off.”
Ron is angry over what happened and wants the suspect to turn himself in to the police. He said he was thankful for the police and the fact that no one was hurt.
“Because that could have changed into a real tragedy, you know, and that would be heartbreaking to me,” Ron said.
