Brazen Thief Steals 66 Pound Treadmill Meant for Man Battling Cancer

Ivan Pentchoukov
By Ivan Pentchoukov
December 14, 2017US News
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Brazen Thief Steals 66 Pound Treadmill Meant for Man Battling Cancer
(Screenshot via Matt Elwonger/Facebook)

A brazen thief stole a treadmill meant for a Missouri man battling cancer during broad daylight and in plain sight of a home security camera.

“The camera is not well-hidden at all,” Matt Elwonger told WDAF. “It’s right in plain sight, and she didn’t care at all. She just came right up and took it.”

Elwonger ordered the treadmill for his dad who is going through chemotherapy as he battles bladder cancer. The doctors ordered him to keep moving.


Matt Elwonger’s father (R) is battling bladder cancer

“I worked really hard to get that for my dad,” Elwonger said. “My brother even, a joint present from me and my brother. We all worked really hard to get it.”

The bulky 66-pound package sat on a porch before a young woman wearing only socks on her feet, dark pants, and a blue hoodie carried it away.

Elwonger posted the footage from the surveillance camera on Facebook with a plea for help. Tens of thousands of people were shocked to see the theft and the video quickly went viral.

NTD Photo
(Screenshot via Matt Elwonger/Facebook)

“It hasn’t even been online for 24 hours, and it’s been shared like 33,000 times,” Elwonger said.

“When I watched her carry it out, I thought, ‘How heavy can that be?’ So I looked it up. The shipping weight on Amazon is 66 pounds,” Elwonger told WDAF. “It just looks like furniture or something.”

“She opened it, and it wasn’t what she wanted so she just threw it out in the street,” Elwonger said about the thief.

People who heard about the story online offered to donate gym equipment of their own. One woman from the area saw the Facebook post and happened to drive by the box as it lay in the middle of the street.

The woman brought the box to a FedEx location and Elwonger came to pick it up on Wednesday, Dec. 13. He thanks the woman and everyone who offered their support.

After a few bumps along the way, the box is now finally at its destination. Elwonger said that he assembled the treadmill and everything works fine.

Elwonger filed a police report. The thief has not yet been identified.

 

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