Unique 3-wheel electric bike stolen from child with special needs in East Vancouver

An East Vancouver mom is asking for help to find a unique and expensive bike that her son with special needs used, until it was stolen from her backyard.

Eight-year-old Jaxton Forrest was born with a rare genetic condition called Mowat-Wilson syndrome.

“He can’t walk and he doesn’t talk. He does make noises,” explained his mom, Erica Forrest, who said her son also has cerebral palsy and seizures.

About six months ago, someone gifted her with money for an electric three-wheel bike for Jaxton.

“It was a perfect fit for us,” Erica Forrest said.

“We put a car seat on the back and it’s got a custom seat on it so it’s completely safe…It was a new level of freedom for the both of us,” she explained.

But Thursday, she said the special bike, which cost about $4,000 with modifications, was taken from her fenced backyard.

“They even stole his helmet and his rain cover. It was clearly for a child,” Forrest said.

Her neighbour saw two men pushing it down the back alley.

She said the thieves don’t have the key or the charger, making the bike of little value to them, but that it is irreplaceable to her and her son.

“How do you tell someone that doesn’t understand or doesn’t speak that their device just got stolen, something that they love just got stolen?” said an emotional Forrest.

Jaxton's stolen electric bike is pictured. She’s filed a report with Vancouver Police and believes the bike is somewhere on the Downtown Eastside.

Forrest said her son has faced a lot in his short life, including multiple surgeries.

“We haven’t had a break,” she said through tears.

She’s appealing to the men who stole the bike to return it, no questions asked.

And she’s hoping the public will also be on the lookout, so her little boy can get his wheels back.