WIXOM, Mich. (WXYZ) — It was a birthday ask you don’t hear often.
"I'm like, 'mom, I don't want a party. I want a gaming bus so I can, like, talk and play with my friends,'" said Jaylen Staley.
The request took his mom, Brittani, by surprise.
"My initial thought was, 'oh, goodness, my wallet,'" said Brittani Staley.
But with a desire to help teach her 11-year-old son entrepreneurial skills, Brittani started bidding on buses.
"I ended up winning the bus. And then within three weeks, the bus was sitting in my driveway," she said.
An inside and outside renovation later, and the gaming bus “Level Up Wit Jay" started rolling around town this past March.
"Jaylen does go. Oh, you know, like he works. It's his business. He is working. He is a kid boss," said Brittani.
Featuring a PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox360 and more, the bus was a gaming destination.
"We have at least eight different systems that people can select from and over at least 1,000 different games that people can select from," said Brittani.
But the fun of the family business ended abruptly this week after Brittani says someone broke into their bus while it was stored at a nearby facility, noting the gate was wide open when they arrived.
"When I drove up, I sat there for a sec and I paused and I was like, 'why is the gate open?' said Brittani.
When she got to the bus parked in the back, she discovered hundreds of games and critical equipment — gone. She said she called police and then her mother, who also helps with the business.
"Some of the games were ones from my childhood," she said. "All of them have my initials on them. So if anyone sees them or, or see someone with them, they all say 'BAMB' on top of them."
Brittani says it’s going to cost them thousands of dollars to return the bus to its former gaming glory.
"I just couldn't believe that someone would just take the time to do that, especially with someone's business. We're all struggling right now," she said.
While they’re waiting for insurance to process, Brittani says they’re in scramble mode trying to prep for upcoming events.
"I'm angry and I'm sad and I'm mad at the same time, because like when I found out, I didn't really know what to feel," said Jaylen.
7 Action News reached out to the 1-800-Self-Storage.com of Wixom facility where the bus was reportedly stored, but were referred to another manager who has not yet responded.
Despite the setback, Jaylen — who just celebrated his fifth grade graduation — remains hopeful.
"I feel like we can keep going. It's just going to take small baby steps to do it. And then we go running," he said.
The Staley family has launched a Facebook fundraiser to help Jay level up again — and fast. If you'd like to help, go here.
