A young South Jersey pizza delivery driver continues to recover from a brutal attack and robbery last month that left him partially paralyzed.
Now he’s speaking out for the first time about the horrific night that changed his life forever.
Back on January 8, Ryan Gaw, 18, was making a delivery for the Pizza Hut on South White Horse Pike in Magnolia, Camden County. He arrived at a home on the 100 block of Ashland Avenue in Lawnside and quickly realized it was abandoned.
“There were two kids standing on the porch and I walked up there and they said they were going inside to get the money,” said Ryan.
Instead, police say the two suspects ambushed and attacked Ryan, beating him with a baseball bat and robbing him of just over $100.
“There’s a hundred ways they could have gone about it,” said Ryan. “They didn’t have to brutally beat me to get what they wanted.”
“It was disheartening to see your son beaten like that,” said Ryan’s father David. “His whole bottom teeth are all wired. It was wired shut top and bottom. The cheekbone here, there’s a plate in here and there’s a plate up here in the socket. Plus his ear was ripped. That was stitched.”
Gaw also suffered a skull fracture and a partially paralyzed left hand.
“They didn’t even give him a chance,” said David. “It was premeditated.”
Police arrested two 17-year-old boys from Somerdale, N.J. Both teens are charged with robbery and aggravated assault. The Camden County Prosecutor’s Office filed paperwork requesting the case be waived to adult court.
Ryan’s father says he’s grateful for the outpouring of support the community has shown his son as he continues to recover.
“Everybody that called in saying they were praying for Ryan, it’s a tribute to Ryan,” said David.
Ryan’s boss and co-workers at the Pizza Hut where he worked plan to hold a fundraiser for him on March 14.
