Central Florida nonprofit seeks help after was stolen, 'totaled'
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Central Florida nonprofit said needs the public's help after its van was stolen and wrecked in a police pursuit that ended in a hit-and-run incident.
The Mustard Seed says it purchased the van in 2015 for $15,000, but only received $8,109 from the insurance company after the incident.
The nonprofit, which is Central Florida's only furniture and clothing bank, is hoping to receive a new van or $10,000 in donations to buy a new van.
The Mustard Seed set up a GoFundMe page for donations.
In a news release from the Mustard Seed on Monday, officials with the nonprofit described what happened in the incident:
(Winter Park Police Department)
"The seven-passenger van was stolen at a Winter Park auto detailing business at approximately 2:15 p.m. on Aug. 13. As the vehicle was being detailed, detailers left the van doors open and the keys in the ignition to allow the interior to dry.
That’s when a man jumped inside the van and took off. An employee from the auto detailing business then hopped into his own vehicle and pursued the suspect in a high-speed chase. The employee called 911, and a 911 dispatcher told the employee to stop pursuing the vehicle. However, the employee continued to follow the suspect.
Shortly after police told the employee to stop following the van, the suspect crashed the vehicle into a car driven by an elderly woman on Orange Avenue in Downtown Orlando. The suspect got out of the van and looked inside the car he’d just hit. Then, he attempted to get back inside The Mustard Seed van and realized it wouldn’t start.
The suspect then ran through traffic and got into a good Samaritan’s vehicle on State Road 50 and told the good Samaritan people were trying to kill him. The good Samaritan then dropped off the suspect at a hospital. The Winter Park Police Department is investigating the incident."