The Lowell police union steps up to replace a student’s stolen ride

LOWELL — Lowell High sophomore Faheem is known as a positive kid, well-liked by teachers and staff, according to School Resource Officer Timothy Sullivan. So when Faheem became the target of a recent crime, Sullivan and other officers were determined to help.

Sullivan recalled how a downtrodden Faheem approached him at school and explained that his electric scooter, his main mode of transportation, had been stolen from the school grounds.

Sullivan reviewed surveillance footage that captured the theft in progress.

“This individual walked right onto the school grounds, took the lock off, started the scooter and took off,” Sullivan said.

He immediately recognized the suspect, a known thief downtown, Sullivan said. Officers stopped and arrested the suspect, but the scooter was long gone.

“He was disappointed and depressed all day,” Sullivan said of Faheem. “So I tried to think of a way I could brighten this poor kid’s day.”

Sullivan discussed the unfortunate incident with fellow School Resource Officer Jose Santiago, secretary of the Lowell Patrol Officer’s Union. Santiago, wanting to “turn a bad thing into a good thing,” contacted union president Danny Brito about obtaining money to buy Faheem a new scooter.

Sullivan found the same scooter model online and ordered it with just over $300 in union dues.

“We wanted to help this boy and remind him that we are here for him,” Brito said.

Sullivan presented Faheem with the new scooter at school.

“I grabbed him and told him I had a surprise for him,” Sullivan said. “He was surprised. He couldn’t believe it.”

Sullivan noted that Faheem’s brother’s scooter had also been stolen previously, but they were able to track it down and return it to him.

This isn’t the first time Lowell police have stepped in to replace a stolen mode of transportation for a Lowell High student. Late last year, the Lowell Patrol Officer’s Union and the Lowell Police Superior Union tapped into union funds buy an electric bicycle for then-sophomore Nam Phan, whose e-bike was stolen in Downtown Lowell on October 14, 2023 while he spent a Saturday afternoon picking up trash.

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