Man Pleads With Thief to Return Electric Wheelchair Stolen Outside NYC Pharmacy

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A 75-year-old New Yorker who recently bought a $1,900 electric wheelchair to help him get around has been relying on his walker for the past two weeks after someone brazenly stole his chair last month.

James Jett says he went to the pharmacy on Saint Nicholas Avenue in Washington Heights on June 19 to get his medications and parked the wheelchair outside. In the minutes it took him to get in and out, the motorized chair had been stolen. An exclusive video provided to NBC New York shows the thief brazenly riding off on Jett's new wheelchair.

"My knees are very bad, that’s why its so hard to get around," Jett tells NBC New York.

Police on Thursday released photos of the man seen walking elsewhere on surveillance video, in the hopes of tracking him down.

With the help of his walker, Jett says he still can't walk very far and he just wants his wheelchair back --- no questions asked.

"You never know, different people have different reasons for doing things," he added.

Adding insult to injury, Jett says he still owes $900 for the chair. He's now left paying for a wheelchair that has been stolen. For now, he's holding out hope that the joyriding suspect will have a change of heart.

"I'd really appreciate it if he returned the chair, I'd appreciate it. I won't press any charges," he said.

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