Elderly Theft Victim Back on 3 Wheels Thanks to Deputies

A 78-year-old man is back to getting around on three wheels courtesy of two Hillsborough County Sheriff’s deputies.

The story behind the random act of kindness originally began when a thief swiped Manuel Melendez’s adult tricycle on Aug. 15, the sheriff’s office said. Deputy Bryan Lugo worked the theft case, but the tricycle has yet to be recovered.

Lugo and Deputy Raymond Clites happened upon Melendez Wednesday morning while out on routine patrol in the area of Palm Bay Drive. What they saw promoted them into action.

“They spotted Mr. Melendez walking slowly through his neighborhood with the aid of a cane,” the sheriff’s office wrote in an email to media.

Concerned by the man’s plight, the two deputies “took it upon themselves and searched for a three-wheel trike for sale on Craig’s list,” the email said. “They found one similar to the trike stolen and purchased it with their own money.”

The pair wasted no time delivering the trike to Melendez either, the sheriff’s office noted.

He “was very appreciative for their act of kindness,” the agency concluded.

Photos courtesy of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office