NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) – Imagine starting up your own lawn mowing business but your equipment gets stolen shortly after. That’s what one young man in Norman is dealing with right now and he isn’t sure where to go from here.

Just as business was beginning to boom, Justin Wardlaw said $6,000-$7,000 of his mowing equipment was stolen in broad daylight right out from the front of his apartment.

“It just kind of seems like getting punched in the gut ten times harder,” Wardlaw said. “Having a real business and that business mindset, it kind of just got ripped away and it’s like having the Band-Aid just ripped off your body, you know, it just hurts.”

JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.

The 22-year-old said he started JJ’s Lawn Care back in May when his girlfriend’s dad gave him some equipment he didn’t use much due to dealing with cancer. Eventually, Wardlaw turned it into a full fledge business.

  • Work from JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Work from JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Work from JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Work from JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Work from JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Work from JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Work from JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Work from JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Work from JJ's Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Work from JJ’s Lawn Care. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.

“I was booked every day,” he said.

One day recently when he got some time off, they went to go visit his girlfriend’s dad in the hospital for a few hours. He said he parks his trailer in a parking lot area in front of his apartment near the tree line to keep it out of the way. But when they came back, his trailer, mowers, weed eater, trailer locks and more were gone. The equipment was stolen in broad daylight.

  • Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
  • Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.
    Stolen lawn mowing equipment. Image courtesy Justin Wardlaw.

“I started freaking out upstairs and tell her, you know, it’s technically her dad stuff he just gave it to me,” he said. “So, I was like we need to do something.”

He called police, looked around, but so far they haven’t come up with anything. He said it was just about to become an LLC. and the business was becoming more official as well. Now, he’s just hoping to find it at some point to get back to doing what he grew to love.

“You track every receipt, you check every maintenance part you buy and it just it seems like everything was a waste, but I know it wasn’t,” Wardlaw said. “I hope that, you know, some good people come forward, if you have any information.”

Justin said he can be contacted with any information by email at justinwardlaw@icloud.com or by phone at 405-420-8115.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help replace what was stolen.