A rocket-shaped ride car that was stolen this month from a beloved Merced amusement park has been returned, thanks to a local collector who stepped forward.
On Friday, officials at Kiwanis Club of Greater Merced reported the car had been stolen from one of the rides at Kiddieland, which the club manages.
A buzz started on social media about the theft, particularly after the club obtained video footage of an unknown person rolling the rocket down the street on a cart.
By Saturday afternoon, the rocket was returned to the park by Jerone Ward, a retired handyman who keeps and collects a bevy of antique items.
Ward told The Merced FOCUS he recently encountered a person who looked unhoused in an alley near 24th and Canal streets. That person had the rocket, along with a bike, clothing and other items.
The man was out of breath from trying to move the rocket and the items. Ward said he suggested the man could “lighten his load” by making a trade. The man agreed, handing the rocket over to Ward in exchange for two amber syrup bottles and an AM/FM radio/cassette player.
The man was ecstatic to make the trade. “He was happy as a pig in you know what,” Ward said.
As part of the trade, Ward said he asked the man twice whether the rocket was stolen. “And he shook his head and said ‘no,'” Ward said. “And so I didn’t have any other reason to question him, so we did the deal.”
Garland Daniel, a friend of Ward’s who was present when the transaction took place, said he saw a social media post Friday afternoon about the stolen rocket. He then immediately responded on the post that he knew the whereabouts of the rocket.
Daniel was also present Saturday to help Ward wheel the rocket back into the park, where they were happily greeted by Karen Adams, president of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Merced.
“It seemed too good to be true, an old piece like that, and I guess it was,” Daniel told The Merced FOCUS. “If we know it belongs to somebody, then we are going to return this thing. And it turns out it did (belong to someone), and we just tried to do the right thing and bring it back as soon as possible.”
Adams was thrilled to have the rocket back at the park, having previously said it’s a “priceless” item. Kiddieland opened in 1957, and the rocket cars are built from World War II era aircraft.
Adams shook Ward’s hand on Saturday, thanking him for returning the rocket to the club. Adams said the fact the rocket was returned so quickly speaks volumes about the Merced community.
“They appreciate our efforts. We’re volunteers, a lot of us have day jobs,” Adams said. “I am not surprised social media works and I am not surprised about Merced’s love for our community.”
Ward said he thought the rocket was “a cool piece” when he saw it. As a collector, Ward said had the trade been legitimate, he would “loved to have kept it.”
“But by looking at it, you know it was some type of amusement (park item), like a carnival or something like that. I had no clue it was from the (Kiddieland) park here,” he said.
Kiddieland is closed for the season, but is expected to reopen in March. In recent years, the club has rallied local residents to raise more than $1 million to keep Kiddieland operational for future generations to enjoy.