A phone that enabled a quadriplegic man with cerebral palsy to speak was stolen from his wheelchair by a teenager, he said.
William Washington, 38, is unable to walk, use his hands or talk, and he could only watch as the phone was taken right off the tray of his wheelchair in the lobby of his Staten Island apartment building Nov. 8.
Washington was on the iPhone at the time using a special pointer to type a message that would be spoken with voice technology. According to police, a teenager grabbed it and ran.
Washington described feeling helpless and "scarred."
Without his iPhone, Washington is now limited to using a clunky computer which he used to communicate during an interview with NBCNewYork.com.
While the thief made off with the phone, it didn't stop Washington from getting a hold of police. Unable to call 911, Washington drafted an email to the NYPD. After looking at surveillance video, police made an arrest.
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TXT 24
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