POINT PLACE, OH (Toledo News Now) - A Point Place teen is devastated after the truck he spent all summer long saving for is stolen and gutted.
Gage Whitenburg, 15, tells WTOL he wanted to get a summer job so he could buy a car he could be proud of. He says he got a good deal on a 97 Dodge from a friend, but it needed a fuel pump and wasn't yet drivable. So he towed it to Ambrosia's Automotive over the Labor Day weekend and by Tuesday it was gone.
"To have the truck taken away, it was just like really disheartening that someone could do that," he said.
Gage's mom Amanda says finding the truck in its current state, was heart wrenching.
"It just made me sick knowing what I would then have to tell Gage that yes his truck was found and it just wasn't the tires that were missing, it was totaled," she said.
She says Gage worked as a busboy and host all summer, saving up his paychecks to buy the truck.
"It's heartbreaking to watch all their hard work literally go to somebody else," she said.
Gage doesn't yet have his driver's license, so there was no insurance on the vehicle. And the auto shop owner says because the truck was dropped off overnight and hadn't been officially checked in, their insurance won't cover it either.
"We just feel really bad about the situation, so whatever we can do to help support her and him we'll do," said Ryan Ambrosia, owner of Ambrosia's Automotive.
The family has created a Go Fund Me page to help with the expense of replacing Gage's car. But Gage hasn't lost hope and has already started applying to other jobs.
"I just hope that they feel good about themselves," he said.
Even though all of this, Gage is maintaining a positive attitude.
"Right now we're just happy to have it back," he said.
And mom Amanda says while it was a hard lesson to learn, the family appreciates the community's support.
"I really appreciate everyone just coming together. A couple people did bad, but way more people just came and ultimately they're the reason why I found my truck," said Gage.
You can help Gage get a new truck by donating to the Go Fund Me page here.
