Thieves steal Maryland 7-year-old’s Make-A-Wish gift

The Prince George’s County Police Department is looking for the thieves who stole a young boy’s Make-A-Wish gift.

PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - The Prince George’s County Police Department is looking for the thieves who stole a young boy’s Make-A-Wish gift.

The inflatable swim park is still missing, but with the help of investigators, they’re now making the seven-year-old’s dream come true again.

In broad daylight, thieves stole Jacob Newkirk’s Make-A-Wish gift as he is living with sickle cell disease.

"It made me feel sad and mad at the same time, but really sad," said Newkirk.

Prince George’s County Police Department told FOX 5’s Sierra Fox suspects took an inflatable swim park on Wednesday, June 30 around noon from Jacob’s own yard when he was inside his Clinton, Maryland home. His mom, Melanie Newkirk, is appalled.

"I felt violated. I felt that we [weren’t] safe anymore," said Newkirk.

Jacob has a message for the people responsible for the criminal act.

"Please don’t steal…anything else from anybody else because stealing is wrong and people that steal–they usually go to prison."

When Lt. Jackob Wolford learned about the incident, he called Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic right away to see if they could replace the waterslide.

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"We took a special interest in this. Understanding that it’s not just property, but they stole this kid's wish," said Wolford. "Anyone who doesn’t get upset at this. I don’t know what to say."

In a statement to FOX 5, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic President and CEO Lesli Creedon said:

"Typically do not have the ability to replace lost or stolen items granted to our Wish Kids and families. This was an extreme case, and when the police reached out we were thrilled to be able to get Jacob a new waterslide. We know that wishes can have a profound impact on our wish kids and are honored to provide these moments of joy."

Lt. Wolford and other officers helped Jacob inflate the new inflatable.

"He’s Jacob with a ‘C’, I’m Jakob with ‘K’ so we have that special connection."

Jacob can now stay cool and play with his two sisters during the summer heat.

"This is definitely about humanity and people doing good even in misfortune," said Jacob’s mother.

At this time, the Prince George’s County Police Department couldn’t release any details about leads or suspects because they don’t want to jeopardize the case. They have their own wish – to make arrests and have the people responsible pay a price.