Tandem bike stolen from 12-year-old with special needs and his grandmother

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Caleb Hooten and his grandmother Janelle Wright share a bond on a bike.

“He’s afraid of riding a bike on his own. So, I thought, ‘Well, I’ll try a tandem and have him behind me and see if he can do it.’ And dude, that was all it wrote. Ha ha! He was in love,” says Janelle, who bought the bike for Caleb during the pandemic in 2020.

Caleb, 12, has microcephaly and health issues. Janelle explains this was a way for the two of them to spend time together traversing the streets of Point Place.

Because of the heat, Janelle says they have not been on the bike since Point Place days in early June. This week, when she decided to pick up Caleb from 7th grade at Ottawa River Elementary, she discovered someone broke into the family garage. The only thing that was missing was Caleb’s tandem bike.

“Came out to get it day before yesterday, and opened up the garage doors and it was gone,” explains Janelle. “I know how much he loves it. My heart broke at first and then I got mad.”

Now, Janelle and Caleb are asking for whoever took their bike to bring it back. Janelle bought it through Walmart for about $400. Even though she is hoping to have it returned, Janelle says she’s saving up for a new tandem bike to share with Caleb.

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