Children's Author Gifts Family Universal Studios Trip After Father 'Saved Kids From Carjacker'

A Minnesota father who has been labeled a hero after chasing down his family’s stolen SUV while his four children were inside was surprised by a local children’s author who gifted him and his family a trip to Universal Studios in Florida.

Derek Gotchie of Burnsville, Minnesota, told local media that he chased down his own family car after a man jumped into it while Gotchie was closing a door as his wife, Deanah, was dropping off gifts to a friend.

The suspect had left another vehicle nearby, which Gotchie jumped into to chase down his own SUV. Describing the chase to WXOW News 19, he said he eventually “rammed the back of my truck trying to pin him against a fence”.

The suspect then ran off. The children – all under the age of five – were thankfully still in the vehicle and unhurt. It was reported earlier this month that police were able to find fingerprints in the vehicle belonging to the suspect, who, if caught, would face potential charges for both carjacking and kidnapping.

A GoFundMe was set up with the aim of helping the family deal with expenses related to the traumatic event, including vehicle repair. However, Minnesota-based author and podcaster Sheletta Brundidge decided to go one step further.

In footage shared to YouTube on December 8, she is seen arriving at the family home alongside a man dressed in a Santa costume to deliver an all-expenses-paid trip to Universal Orlando Resort.

She told Storyful, “I wanted to do something special for the family,” adding that she also “wanted to give them something to lift their spirits and to get away from this ungodly Minnesota cold.”

The footage sees a delighted family bringing Brundidge into their home, and revealing more about the carjacking incident and its after-effects on them. An autism advocate, whose writing is inspired by the journey of three of her own kids with autism, Brundidge also gifted the family one of her books.

It was only after this that she found out that one of Gotchie’s sons also has autism “and they’ve had a tough time finding help”.

Brundidge added, “Since I have three kids on the spectrum and I know how to connect to services and resources, we spent a few hours finding therapists and social workers. I thought this was about the trip. More than that, it was about helping this child.” Credit: Sheletta Brundidge via Storyful

Video Transcript

DEANAH GOTCHIE: As soon as I got back in, he said, mom, I was scared the bad guy was going to come get me.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: I'm in Burnsville getting ready to surprise the dad, the hero dad, who saved his kids from a carjacking. When I saw the story of how Derek jumped into a car and chased down a carjacker to save his four small kids, I knew I wanted to do something special, something more than donate to his GoFundMe. So I'm getting ready to send his entire family-- he, his wife, and four kids to Universal Orlando, Florida, courtesy of my podcasting platform shelettamakesmelaugh.com.

I want this family to escape the hell they've been through and get down to Florida to have some fun. Y'all stick around. We're going to surprise them like Ed McMahon.

Wait a minute. I just thought about it. I can't go into a house full of kids by myself. It's Christmas time. I know what this surprise needs. I'm calling the big guy. That's right, baby. Santa Claus.

Hello, Santa, mm-hmm? How soon can you get to Burnsville? Yeah, I got four babies I want to surprise. OK, all right. Is that my Santa Dan? Are you ready to surprise this family? Is this going to be so super awesome?

SANTA DAN: Absolutely.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: The kids are going to be-- they're going to go bananas.

SANTA DAN: All right.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: They're going to go bananas. It's so good to see you. Are you ready to make the magic happen? This is what Christmas magic is all about, huh?

SANTA DAN: All right.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: All right. Let's do it.

SANTA DAN: Absolutely.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Let's do it, Santa Dan. Come on. Because this family deserves some fun after the hell they've been through. Ooh!

It's Publishers Clearing House! It's Ed McMahon.

SANTA DAN: Ho! Ho! Ho!

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Ooh, wait till them kids see you. They're going to pass all the way out. Oh my God.

[BELLS RINGING]

SANTA DAN: Well, hello there.

- Hello, there.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Who is that?

SANTA DAN: How are you?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: It's Santa!

SANTA DAN: Merry Christmas.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: Oh, my goodness.

DEREK GOTCHIE: Say, Merry Christmas.

- Merry Christmas.

SANTA DAN: Merry Christmas. How are you?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: It's Santa!

DEANAH GOTCHIE: Say, hi.

SANTA DAN: How are you?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Oh, It's Santa!

- [INAUDIBLE] the big one.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Come on. We're going inside.

SANTA DAN: Hello.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Come on. We're going to go in.

SANTA DAN: All right.

- Are you coming in?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Yes. Can we come in? Come on.

SANTA DAN: So what do you want for Christmas?

- A bigger Godzilla one.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: A bigger Godzilla.

- Yeah.

SANTA DAN: Oh, OK.

- And King Kong. And Godzilla too.

SANTA DAN: Oh, OK.

- Like the [INAUDIBLE].

SANTA DAN: I'll check with the elves, and see what we can come up with for you. OK?

- My dad just saved me. But he saved us. But he just crushed the bad guy in a car like that. But it was too faster. But he bumped into the bad guy.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: He did?

- What were they doing when they scared?

DEREK GOTCHIE: Oh, he-- he was scared. The baby was crying just because he didn't see mom or dad, I'm pretty sure. And then these two were kind of like, what's going on. They weren't crying. But they were like, my big brother's crying, so something's wrong. Yeah, it was--

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: OK.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: We think he only really understood what was going on. So still just last night I was pumping gas, and you know I shut the truck off. And I go to do my tap pay for gas, to pay for gas, and you're not going to take four kids out of the car just to pump gas.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Yeah, I was going to say. You got to be mortified every time you get out of the car.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: Yeah, and as soon as I got back in car, he said, mom I was scared the bad guy was going to come get me. And so that kind of just like made me hurt. Because, you know, it does affect him too more than we probably can even realize.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: So I saw your story on TV about how you chased down that dude who carjacked your babies. I got four babies. I got three boys and a girl. So I felt that in my spirit. And I said, I want to do something for y'all. I want to do something special for y'all.

- That's not a girl. That's a boy.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: I know. That's a good looking boy. And-- and I went to the GoFundMe. And y'all were raising the $4,000. And I was--

- Do you have reindeers?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: I was praying and asking God, what could I do, you know, special for y'all, more than that, more than $4,000. And the Lord placed it on my heart to give your family a trip to Universal Orlando all expenses paid-- flights, hotels, tickets to the theme parks, so you and your family could get away from some of this hell y'all just went through, and have some fun.

And I just want to bless you and your family on behalf of my family, and let you know that, you know, we love you, and we're thinking about you. And I know you don't think of yourself as a hero. But what you did for those babies was heroic. And they are here today because you are such an amazing dad, and an amazing man. And God bless you and your family. And we just wanted to gift this for you, and say Merry Christmas. How about that? How about that, girl? How about that?

DEANAH GOTCHIE: Thank you so much. Oh my God.

- I'm going--

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DEANAH GOTCHIE: Gosh, thank you so much.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Oh, girl. I'm a mama. I know, girl. I know you about passed-- OK, girl. I know you about to pass out. When he told you, it was like you-- it was a bad dream.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: I, yeah. I was throwing up in the middle of the street.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Really?

DEANAH GOTCHIE: I didn't even know where he went.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Because it just happened so fast.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: So fast, yes. Yes, it happened so fast. And we didn't know that the van was left there. I didn't see-- I just turned around, and he was gone. And so I was asking for everyone-- someone's keys, like so we could chase after them. And then it turned out that the guy left the van, and he was able to get them back.

DEREK GOTCHIE: But all I knew was my truck was going down the road with my kids in it. And I'm not-- not even not me or my wife are in that truck. So I'm going after that truck, no matter what. So--

- Yeah.

DEREK GOTCHIE: It just kind of all happened so fast that I didn't-- everyone asks, everyone says your instincts kicked in. Like a lot of people don't know what they would have done. It was my car was leaving with my kids in it. There was a running vehicle right there. I don't care whose vehicle it is. That vehicle is mine until I get my kids back.

- How did you stop it all? I thought I heard you ran into him?

DEREK GOTCHIE: Yeah. I ran into the back of my truck. We weren't going very fast. He was almost stopped. I kind of just ran in-- ran into the back of my truck, trying to get it pinned against the fence. But then I pushed it into-- into this alley, which was not a dead end, but it looked like a dead end. So I kind of think he thought, this is it. I got nowhere to go. I'm jumping out and I'm leaving.

- What did you say-- what did you-- did you run away? Did you grab him?

DEREK GOTCHIE: Yeah, he ran-- no, he ran away. So I have my permit to carry. I drew my gun out. He said, I'm sorry. And I was just like, no. I'm not-- I'm not doing that. And then I just kind of checked on my kids, to move the-- the van away from my truck. And then got back to my kids and called it in.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: So three of my four kids have autism.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: He has autism?

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: You better-- this is Jesus. I'm going to tell you. That's how Jesus works. Three of my four kids have autism, and let me tell you something. Two of my kids-- you ask this lady right here. They have tested off the spectrum. I didn't even know that was possible. Did you know that children can test off the spectrum? My children, two of the three that have autism, have tested off of the spectrum. They were nonverbal, in Pampers, couldn't chew their food up, bottles, sleeping with me. I thought they are never going to go to school, they're never going to get married.

Let me encourage you and tell you today that this child can get his. Two of my three children are no longer on the spectrum, they're not in special ed. They're not stuttering anymore. They are talking and talking back, giving me eye contact.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: They're talking back.

- I can go to school.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: That's right. Look, let me show you which one-- is the smart-- the younger three-- Brandon, Daniel, and Cameron we're all on the spectrum. Brandon and Cameron have tested off the spectrum. Daniel is still on the spectrum. But guess what we find out? He talks through music. That's why his book is all about music.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: I need a towel.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: They ain't a number, Jesus. Come here, girl. They ain't a number. God, I came to give you some hope today. I came to give you some hope that your baby can be healed. Your baby does not have to have that autism label for the rest of his life. Do you understand what I'm telling you? My kids weren't giving me no eye contact. They couldn't say, mama, I love you.

When I say, I love you. They would just look. And I remember crying, saying, they never going to say I love you. They're never going to understand what their name is. And when my baby took a test, he three years old. They said touch your tummy. He had no idea where his tummy was.

When I saw the story, I thought about my four babies, and how many times I went unguarded, you can pick up dry cleaning, and they left the car running, because it's--

DEANAH GOTCHIE: It's cold.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: It's cold but you don't want to get four small young children out of the car to pick up a coat, or the alteration shop. You think, my babies are going to be OK. I can still see them. I within arm's reach. But if somebody jumps in the car and takes off, there's nothing as a mom or dad that you can do, unless you're crazy enough to chase down and ram into him, and pulling a pistol, and you know.

[LAUGHS]

So I just-- I thought about y'all. And I just wanted to do something more. You know, because you've gone through a traumatic experience. And I wanted to give you and your husband and these kids an amazing experience.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: And the kids deserve it.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Yes. Yes.

DEANAH GOTCHIE: It's like overwhelming, because we've never had people ever do such nice things for us. And it sucks that it's under such traumatic events. But the way that people are so caring and coming together, it kind of like gives me a little hope for humanity.

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Yes.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

SANTA DAN: Merry Christmas to everyone. Ho! Ho! Ho!

[BELLS JINGLING]

SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE: Come on. How about it, Santa? We did that. Oh, yeah. Get busy! Go Santa!

SANTA DAN: Merry Christmas.