78-year-old Fremont contractor unable to support his family after work tools stolen

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Danny Ray has been a contractor in the Bay Area for over 50 years. At 78 years old, he can't retire because he needs the money to support his wife who has been in and out of the hospital following three strokes.

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"She is in the hospital now and we are trying to live somewhat of a normal life," he said.

He uses his contracting business to support his wife, but this past weekend, his business took a massive hit. Someone broke into his truck and stole all of his tools. He can't work without them.

"Without the tools I have no job, and with no job I have no livelihood," he said.

Ray says it happened Saturday morning. He says his neighbors saw a car pull up to his home smash the back window clear out all of the tools. Ray says the tools added up to around $7,000. He can't replace them because many of the tools are either too hard to find or too expensive.

To help, the Fremont Police Association opened up a donation page inviting the public to donate to help him get his tools back. Officer Grant Goepp, who responded to the break in, says he saw mans life get unnecessarily altered and wanted to do what he can to help.

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"It was just so devastating to watch a gentlemen who is a hard worker, is a finished contractor general contractor to have his entire truck cleaned out of all his tools," Officer Goepp with Fremont police said.

Officer Goepp says tool thefts are popular because they can be easily sold on the black market. He says opening up this donation page is the least they could while they search for the people who did this.

"He was so demoralized and concerned about what was going to happen next," Goepp said. "How was he going to take care of himself? He didn't have any idea about how to make this right."

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