Police looking for thief as search for stolen van with medical equipment ends

Police are still searching for a thief, but the hunt for a stolen van with medical equipment is over.

The van needs a good cleaning, but Marina Condon's stolen mini van is back in her driveway after she went into detective mood.

"Everyday I just was getting in the car, driving around," Condon said.

The mother of two took matters into her own hands after she says someone swiped her keys while she was at the Peabody Institute Library, then took off with her Kia.

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Surveillance video from a nearby hair salon shows the van leaving the parking lot.

After days of searching, she decided to look again on Wednesday night, against her husband's wishes.

"I said, 'I’m going to get in my car and drive around,'" Condon said. "He said, 'Don’t waste your gas, it’s gone.' He said, 'Let it go, let the insurance handle it.'”

However, it wasn't the van itself that she wanted back the most, it was what was inside.

Inside the stolen van was expensive medical equipment for Condon's two-year-old daughter named Arianna, who has spinal muscular atrophy.

"I said, 'I'm just going to do it. I'm just going to do it one more time,'" Condon said.

Condon began talking to people near the Peabody Institute Library, and someone suggested she check the area near an agency that helps the homeless.

"I drove there, and boom, I saw the van parked," Condon said. "I blocked my van with my other vehicle."

Condon called 911, and police arrived and towed the car to the station.

The van was fingerprinted, searched for evidence and then returned.

"Everything was opened up, looking for stuff," Condon said.

Spare change was taken from the van, with some of her daughters' snacks eaten and the car left as a mess.

However, Arianna's medical bag was still inside, left untouched after everything.

"It was all in there, so I was happy, very happy," Condon said.

Two local businesses stepped forward to help the family out, with a locksmith offering to change all the locks on their home with their keys still missing, and a detailing company offering to clean the van for free.

Cox Media Group