The disabled veteran tells us someone swiped the 18-hundred dollar scooter right from his front yard. Without it, Tom says he can't go anywhere.
"I can maybe walk a half a block on my feet before I'm completely hobbled over in pain," Tom said.
He uses his scooter to the Veterans Administration building where he sees doctors for therapy and he volunteers.
"Because as long as I'm able to get out and do something fulfilling with my life and not sit here and languish like a vegetable," he said.
Tom's story and his message made the news.
"Frankly, I don't have the finances to buy another scooter," he said.
He was hoping the thief would give it back, no questions asked. Instead, his faith in humanity was restored even faster.
The founders of Drive Medical Manufacturers in Port Washington offered Tom a new scooter to be delivered on Thursday.
"For a veteran, that has served this country, we weren't gonna let somebody come in and take their freedom away," Doug Francis, co-founder of Drive Medical, said.
"I says when your time comes you got a special place in heaven," Tom said.
Tom also says he only needs the scooter as a loaner until the VA can order him a new one for free.
Meanwhile, Tom would still like the thief to come clean and so would police. Crime Stoppers in Suffolk County is offering a reward of up to 5-thousand dollars for information leading to an arrest.
Suffolk County Crime Stoppers
1-800-220-TIPS
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