SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police are looking for the person who stole a 13-year-old's go-kart on the northwest side Monday night, though it took just hours for the Magdaleno family to retrieve their son's missing ride.
Jessica Magdaleno Leonard says she was not home when a man wandering the neighborhood approached her son, Phoenix, playing in the front yard.
The man asked Phoenix how to start and operate his go-kart, she says, but the boy became uncomfortable and went inside to get his adult sister.
The go-cart was gone when the siblings emerged from the house.
"My son has autism and he's a child," Magdaleno Leonard said. "He didn't know that this guy wasn't truly talking to him in the interest of his toy. He was trying to figure out how to start it because he's a dumb-dumb."
The family called police and began searching for the vehicle. Daughter Cheyenne Magdaleno posted pictures of the go-kart online, asking for neighbors' help.
Within minutes, a friend spotted the go-cart for sale on OfferUp and passed the advertisement along to the family. The father recognized a wicker basket and car bumper in the background of the ad from a nearby apartment complex.
Mom and dad went with police officers to retrieve the vehicle. San Antonio Police did not arrest anyone at the meet-up, saying there was "little to no suspect information."
"My kids are scared," Jessica said. "I'm thankful that they stole our go-kart, rather than our son."
Magdaleno family members say they believe the men who had the go-kart were somehow connected to its theft, but concede it would be difficult for police to prove their connection to the crime. Jessica says she hopes other families will remember their story.
"These guys are out there and they're not getting in trouble," she said. "We have to watch out for ourselves and for each other because these things happen."
Police say the case remains open and an investigation is underway. Anyone with information that could help identify a suspect should call 210-207-8326.