LAS VEGAS - John Van Hoove loves racing motorcycles. Even with one arm, he still gets his thrill rides thanks to a special prosthetic limb.

Van Hoove's dirt bike, however, isn't going anywhere. His unique artificial limb was stolen out of his truck at a Las Vegas gas station Saturday morning.

"That someone would be that cruel and do this kind of thing to people," he said.

He made a passionate plea Monday night on 8 News NOW to have the limb returned. Soon after, he received a call from someone who said he found the missing prosthesis in a dumpster.

"There's a cable on my arm that doesn't come on my normal prosthesis, so he identified that cable," Van Hoove said. "That right off the bat gave me an indication it was mine, and then we did the apparatus click in and click out. I knew it was mine. I knew that he has it."

Hearing those convincing clues over the phone, Van Hoove was ready to get his arm back, but the caller wanted a $100 reward.

"He says, ‘I don't want cash. I want you to put it on a Green Dot MoneyPak,'" Van Hoove said.

Van Hoove bought the Green Dot MoneyPak and put $100 on the card. "He was to drop off my arm one hour later at the Chevron station where it was stolen from, and two hours went by, and three hours went by, and I realized I had been scammed," he said.

A representative from Green Dot MoneyPak told Van Hoove the $100 was transferred to an account listed under the name Edward Luzzi. Whether Luzzi is the culprit, a co-conspirator, or an alias is unclear.

"I guess I've learned a lesson. Now, I have no arm and no $100 bill," Van Hoove said.

The man who called Van Hoove used a private number. Van Hoove has turned over all of this information to Metro Police for an investigation.

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"when deceit becomes universal, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"

I saw that story on the news last night... that's seriously fucked up.

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2005 Suzuki Hayabusa Limited Edition - lots of mods
2007 Suzuki GSXR600 - wifebeater and flip-flops optional
2000 Honda CBR600F4 - outfitted with the NRC case cover of invincibility
http://www.gleno.net

Yes, yes it is...I didn't hear about this until reading this thread, but if I found that azzhole, he wouldn't have his own fvcking arm to use after I was done with him!!!!

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If you can't beat 'em...shoot 'em!

South Bay Photography

This is why I wanna get a pet gorilla trained to rip arms off. Let Mr. Luzzi see how he likes it. Well... that and to freak Marcus out.

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What an f**n d bag

Now that's a guy we should do a fundraiser for not an idiot how uses no common sense when riding.

+1

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"when deceit becomes universal, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act"

Never seems to amaze me how big a douchebag people can be

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http://www.cycleawareness.org

My buddy was telling me he used to race with him back in the early 80's. I even have a pic of him somewhere I took of him in like 82? It really sucks because that was a special arm that was a breakaway so he wouldn't get dragged with the bike in case he wrecked. Hope you get it back bro, you been racing a long time.