The thieves who stole Brad Ley’s Holden saw the booster in the back seat, but they torched his car anyway – along with university textbooks, toys and important paperwork.
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Mr Ley, 24, is the full-time carer of his four-year-old Bailey, who has autism and is non-verbal.
Between caring for his son and taking him to regular therapy, Mr Ley has taken on his first year of study in early childhood at Charles Sturt University.
But now, with the car he is still paying off destroyed, he’s not sure his studies can continue.
“It was stolen from the front of my house in Park Lane Wodonga on Tuesday night while I was sleeping,” he said.
“When I went to take my son to daycare in the morning, I saw it was missing, and called the police.
“The police told me they would keep a look out, and a few people saw it doing burn-outs near Lavington.
“I found all the items from the car burnt at Mungabareena on Thursday.”
But it wasn’t until Monday, when the station wagon was found completely gutted on Jones Street in Albury, that Mr Ley’s worst fears were confirmed.
“Sunday night, the police rang me and told me they found it,” he said.
“I’m not angry, I’m just devastated in general, I don’t understand what brings people to do that.
“They would have seen I had a baby seat, and all the things I need for Bailey and university.”
Police will release CCTV footage in coming days of the car.
Wodonga Detective Leading Senior Constable Andrew Leonard said police were investigating two petrol-drive offs at the Barnawartha BP involving the station wagon.
“It’s been involved in attempted theft of petrol, we’re investigating an incident at 6.30am on Thursday,” he said.
“There was a second attempt to put fuel in the car on Saturday morning at about 5.50am and the operator shut down the bowser.
“We’ll look to release footage of the offender to see if anyone identifies them.”
Brad’s father Mark said the fact the registration plates were taken off the car gave him hope the offenders would be caught.
“I know what Brad’s gone through to get to where he is,” he said.
“He was thinking about leaving work to study, and we told him to just go for it and that we’d pay for his textbooks … that’s all gone now.”
Brad’s mum, Donna, hoped the thieves would “get community service in a special needs school”.
“Just to realise the gravity of what they’ve done,” she said.
