The president of a Merritt seniors residence is dumbfounded that a man would choose to break into his facility and steal a 20-seat bus to drive to Burnaby.
“It’s really almost impossible to miss,” said Frank Rizzardo, president of the Florentine Seniors Residence, located in the B.C. Interior.
The bus was stolen at around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, according to Rizzardo.
Surveillance video showed a man forcing open the doors of the centre, he said.
The thief stole some cash and the keys to a Chevy Suburban as well but opted to make his getaway in the bus – which is swathed in a bright green wrap and emblazoned with pictures of smiling seniors and the words “The Florentine Seniors Residence.”
The seniors home took to social media after reporting the theft to police, and reports soon came in from people who spotted the conspicuous vehicle on its way through the Lower Mainland.
Someone who recognized the bus from a news report eventually found it parked in the 200 block of Gilmore Avenue – about 264 kilometres from the Florentine – and called police at about 7:30 p.m., according to the Burnaby RCMP.
“When we arrived, the bus was empty. It was towed to a secure lot, and the owners were updated. At this time there are no suspects on our end,” Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Mike Kalanj told the NOW.
Staff from the Florentine are making the trip from Merritt to retrieve the bus today (Friday), according to Rizzardo.
He said the vehicle is in need of some repairs since the thief apparently hit something on the driver’s side.
Once back in Merritt, the bus will get a “thorough cleaning” and mechanical safety check and hopefully be back in service for the seniors by sometime next week, according to Rizzardo.
He said the loss of the bus, which is used to take seniors on day trips, was a heavy blow for residents who are currently restricted to one designated visitor each because of COVID-19.
“Breaking up the day and making it more interactive is really one of the keys to keeping their mental health, and the bus is part of that,” Rizzardo said.
As for the bus thief, Rizzardo said the Florentine posted screenshots of the security video on Facebook, and one person claimed he had given the man in the video a ride from Kamloops to Merritt.
“He told us (the suspect) was from Saskatchewan, gave us his first name as Randy, and told us that he was going to see his girlfriend on Vancouver Island,” Rizzardo said.
All the information gathered on the Florentine’s Facebook page has been passed on to police, he said.
