SoFlo Man's Missing Prosthetic Arm Found By Police

BOYNTON BEACH, FL — A life-changing prosthetic arm was recovered by Boynton Beach police Sunday after the owner issued a plea for its safe return.

Chris Ruden left his prosthetic arm in his Chevrolet Silverado truck parked outside his girlfriend's home over the weekend when thieves broke into the vehicle and made off with the black carbon fiber Touch Bionics arm with a black alloy hand.

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"Getting one was a major step in his life after living 27 years without one," explained Stephanie Slater of the Boynton Beach Police Department.

Sgt. Rayner De Los Rios and Detectives Marco Villari and Jeff Gleicher of the Boynton Beach Police Department found the custom-fit arm in some bushes along a fence not far from where the theft took place on Stonehaven Drive.

Ruden, a motivational speaker, told Patch that at least two officers came in on their day off to help with the search. He removed the $150,000 arm because it poses a safety hazard when he drives. The arm responds to muscle movements but can get caught on the steering wheel.

"It's almost like they took it, and they didn't know what it was, or didn't know the value of it," Ruden said of the thieves. "It's around Halloween time, so they could have just thought it was some arm that was at the Halloween store."

He said that the arm changed his life and the way he looks at his disability.

"I mean I hid my disability for 17 years before I got this arm," he said. "The arm was like the final coming out moment.

Watch vide0 of Ruden getting his arm in November 2017:

Ruden (center) is seen with two of the officers who helped recover his prosthetic arm. Photo courtesy Boynton Beach Police Department. Video courtesy Chris Ruden.