‘They stole my ride to life-saving treatment,’ New Orleans man with cancer says after car was stolen
By Aubry Killion
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NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — A New Orleans man fighting cancer was hit with even more heartbreak.
He got a call that doctors at MD Anderson in Texas could see him. But overnight, his car was stolen.
Now he is scrambling to figure out how he will get to Texas.
“You caused us a lot of hardships and headache, it was unnecessary,” James Garner said. “They stole my ride to life-saving treatment just for fun. That is just cruel, mean, they don’t care.”
Garner woke up to his Hyundai stolen outside his home on General Diaz Street Friday.
“I felt violated,” Garner said. “I was upset, you just feel violated.”
Garner’s been through a lot. He was just diagnosed with colon cancer.
“It spread to other organs in your body. Mine has spread to the liver — that makes it more difficult to deal with,” Garner said.
Garner said insurance will get him a rental, but he says only until Tuesday. He’s set to travel to Texas on Wednesday.
“Realize how much you are hurting other people,” Garner said. “Have a heart, a little heart.”
While Garner said he plans on moving out of New Orleans for good, he’s just focused on finding a way to get to Texas.
“It’s tough, man,” he said. “They are telling me this could be it. Two to 5 years, that wasn’t the long-term plan. It is what it is.”
New Orleans police said they do not have any imagery available for release regarding this investigation.
The vehicle was recovered in the 4900 block of Moore Drive with major damage.
As of the afternoon of May 3, the total number of vehicles currently listed as stolen stands at 2,174 (of these, 1,924 were specifically reported stolen in auto theft incidents). Of this total, approximately 1,038 are either Hyundai or Kia vehicles reported as stolen.
Of the total number of reported stolen vehicles in the same time frame, 1,036 were reported recovered (963 recovered in specifically reported auto theft incidents). Of this total number, 68 percent have been either Hyundai or Kias.
Anyone with information that can assist in this investigation is asked to contact NOPD Third District detectives at 504-658-6030 or to report information anonymously to Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans at 504-822-1111.
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