The owner of a van that was stolen during a wild pursuit through Orange and Los Angeles counties and left a trail of destruction Wednesday says he hopes the vehicle is still drivable.
The victim, John Reynolds, told KTLA that he and his family were enjoying a day at Knott’s Berry Farm when the pursuit began.
The suspect was seen hopping inside Reynold’s parked van in Anaheim and repeatedly ramming the van into a police car before escaping from the neighborhood.
The suspect sped away with the van, leading dozens of police cars on an erratic, high-speed chase caught by Sky5.
Reynolds didn’t realize his van was stolen until he received a call from the HOA manager at his housing complex.
As he watched the wild pursuit unfold on live television, one thought ran loudly through his mind: “What am I going to do about work tomorrow?” He said of his damaged van, “I need that for work. I’m hoping it’s still usable.”
Reynolds is a food distributor who services convenience stores with fruit.
“A lot of people rely on me because convenience stores are open every single day and I have to make deliveries so they have products for their customers,” Reynolds said. “I’m scrambling right now.”
The pursuit suspect continued driving Reynolds’ van as he received worrying live updates of the ongoing chase from officers.
The suspect eventually ditched Reynolds’ van and stole a white pickup truck from a Whittier home while scuffling with the residents and their dog.
The suspect reached speeds of over 100 miles on surface streets, crashing into cars and driving on the wrong side of the road. He was eventually taken into custody after several crashes left him rolling to a stop at a gas station in Hacienda Heights.
Reynolds doesn’t know the full extent of the damage on his van as the vehicle is still in police custody.
“What’s important is that my wife and my children are safe and we thank God for that,” said Reynolds.
He is now renting a U-Haul van to continue working and to raise enough money for a new vehicle. In the meantime, Reynolds started a GoFundMe page to help.
“If you know someone who’s looking to get rid of their refrigerated van, or sells them, please send us their info,” the page read.
A GoFundMe has been set up for another victim whose work truck and tools were stolen.
