'I need it for my son': Van stolen from young mother on Milwaukee's northwest side

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Jesenia Acevedo couldn’t hold back tears thinking about the long hours and hard work she put in to finally buy a car.

"You work so hard for something and it gets stripped away from you," she said.

The single mother saved for months in order to buy a used 1999 maroon-colored Dodge Grand Caravan. It was to make things easier on her and her 3-year-old son.

"I was walking like 30/40 minutes to work," she said.

However, late Friday night as she was visiting family near 77th Street and Hope Avenue, someone stole the minivan days after she bought it.

A neighbor believes she saw someone acting strange in the area. "He stopped in our driveway right here, and our little dog was barking, barking, but it was just suspicious the way he was walking back and forth,” said Cynthia Erickson. “I got in, locked the door, looked out the window, her van was gone -- that quick!"

Acevedo's son's car seat and stroller are also gone. Both were inside the van.

More than anything, the young mother just wants the van returned. "Just bring it back, that's all I ask,” she said. “You had it, you got it, but I need it for my son."

The Wisconsin license plate number of the vehicle is: AGJ 5448. A police report has been filed. If you have any information, contact authorities.

A Gofundme account was created to help Acevedo recoup some of her losses. To help, visit: https://bit.ly/30zQ2JG