NEW CASTLE —
A wheelchair lift, being held in reserve by a mother of two handicapped children, has been stolen.
The metal frame, estimated to weigh between 500 and 600 pounds, vanished from the backyard of the family’s Cleveland Avenue home.
Lynn Nocera, the mother of 15-year-old twins, whose daughter, Rebecca, is in a wheelchair as a result of cerebral palsy, said she was given the lift to hold in reserve.
“I bought a used van that has a wheelchair lift,” Nocera said.
However, she said she was told problems may arise, so when another lift was offered, she accepted gladly.
“It took three men — my father, uncle and fiancé — to carry it into the backyard,” she said. “I don’t know how anyone could have gotten it out.”
The lift had rested against a backyard shed for more than a year.
“Several people told me they’d scrap it for me, but I didn’t see it as scrap,” she said. “I believed it was something I’d be able to use.”
She said she does not know what the device is worth, but said someone told her a new wheelchair lift could cost $5,000.
On Sunday, Nocera said, she looked out her kitchen window and noticed the lift was missing.
She told police it had disappeared between Oct. 18 and 5:30 p.m. Sunday.
She said her backyard is surrounded by a wooden fence and she does not know how the lift was moved.
“I hope someone saw something and will be able to tell the police so we can get it back.”
Fearing scrappers may have taken the lift, Nocera said, she has made the rounds of local scrap dealers to describe the device and ask to be contacted if it shows up.
Police Reports
Related Photos
Discussion
Wheelchair lift taken from Croton home
- Police Reports
-
-
South Side man faces gun, drug charges
A South Side man was arrested on gun and drug charges following a traffic stop on the city’s North Hill. Martel Lamar Webb, 19, of 199 Hamilton St. had been wanted by police on charges in a domestic assault case in May when police caught up with him.
-
Bomb threat locks down jail
The Lawrence County jail was locked down Tuesday afternoon because of an apparent bomb scare.
-
Truck found in Mahoning River
Crews from the North Beaver Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to a truck found in the Mahoning River Monday night.
-
Woman charged for assaulting 1-year-old
A New Castle woman was arrested and charged with the assault of a year-old child in Scott Township. Nicole Martin, 26, of New Castle was arraigned before District Judge David Rishel on a charge of simple assault. She was lodged in the Lawrence County jail on $1,000 bond.
-
Jail receives bomb threat
The Lawrence County jail received a bomb threat over the weekend. New Castle police reported a call was received at 7:40 p.m. Saturday from a man who said he “was coming up to blow up the jail.”
-
Child says man tried to kidnap him
A 6-year-old playing in his yard Saturday night said a man tried to abduct him. Pennsylvania State Police said the child, playing on his swing set on Line Street, Perry Township, about 8:30 p.m. Saturday, was approached by a blond, bearded, tattooed man who tried to talk to him.
-
Y Zone evacuated in power outage
The Y Zone in Neshannock Township was evacuated Friday afternoon out of concern for fire. An electrical box at the facility reportedly exploded, cutting power and creating smoke.
-
Two arrested in East Side drug raid
Narcotics officers arrested two men and seized heroin in a raid of a house on New Castle’s East Side. New Castle Police Chief Bobby Salem said city police and Lawrence County District Attorney’s detectives served a sealed search warrant at Apartment D, 502 Florence Ave., around 9 p.m. Wednesday.
-
Police probe alleged overdose
New Castle police are investigating a reported drug overdose of a woman found in a car on the city’s West Side. The woman, 29-year-old Misty Blu McKim of Youngstown, was reported to have been in cardiac arrest and had two children in car seats in the back of the car.
-
Police arrest 15 in drug roundup
Police in Lawrence County arrested 15 people Thursday as part of an ongoing sweep of accused drug dealers. Lawrence County District Attorney Joshua Lamancusa said the detail, dubbed “Operation Spring Cleaning,” began around 10 a.m.
- More Police Reports Headlines
-
