US Paralympic hopeful Ranjit Steiner says he could have never imagined that someone would stoop so low as to steal his prosthetic leg . Steiner , from San Francisco , woke up Tuesday morning - his birthday - to discover that thieves had smashed the rear right window on his brand-new car and taken his laptop along with his $ 25,000 blade-style running leg . Steiner , a track-and-field champion who aspires to go to the 2016 Paralympics in Brazil , uses it for competitive running at City College of San Francisco . Heartless : Ranjit Steiner ( left ) , a track-and-field champion and aspiring Paralympian , says someone broke into his brand-new car ( right ) in San Francisco and got away with his custom-fitted running blade . Survivor : Steiner had his right leg amputated four years ago after contracting bone cancer . In a message posted on his Facebook page , Steiner wrote that the break-in took place sometime between 8pm Monday and 9am Tuesday along Cesar Chavez Street between Mission and Valencia streets . As of noon Wednesday , Steiner ’ s artificial leg - a black model with a yellow stripe on either side - has not been found . The thieves also took the athlete ’ s backup running blade . Champ : Steiner won the bronze medal in the nationals last year . ‘ It 's just so low , ’ Steiner told NBC Bay Area . ‘ You never think anybody would take something like that. ’ Steiner , a graduate of University of Oregon with a degree in journalism , lost his right leg above the knee to bone cancer four years ago . But the amputation did not stop him from competing or pursuing his Olympic dreams . On Tuesday Morning , Steiner got behind the wheel of his brand-new Subaru Imperza and hit the road , only to feel the breeze on his back coming from the shattered back window , according to Palo Alto Online . Steiner was hoping that the perpetrators had not found his prosthetic under the seat , but the expensive running blade was nowhere to be found . Steiner says the artificial leg will not do the thieves any good because it was custom-fitted for his height and leg length , and can only be used for running . The cancer survivor says he seldom leaves anything of value in the car , but on Monday night he went out with his family to celebrate his birthday and forgot the blade and his other possessions in the backseat . Steiner , who won the bronze medal in the national championship last year , says he can not do any high-level training without his blade . Futile crime : Steiner says his artificial leg will not do the thieves any good because it was custom-fitted for his height and leg length . Luckily for Steiner , he works for a company that manufactures prosthetic sockets and his employer is sponsoring him , but fitting him with a replacement could take up to a month . The athlete is asking for the public 's help in locating and returning the artificial leg to him so he could continue with his 100- and 200-meter sprint workouts . ‘ I 've got four months until National Championships and this ... you know , every day counts at this point , ’ Steiner told ABC 7 News . An online fundraiser has now been launched on Life Indiegogo hoping to raise $ 30,000 to help Steiner get a new artificial leg .
Ranjit Steiner woke up Tuesday morning to discover thieves had smashed window on his new car and taken his laptop and blade-style running leg . Steiner , a track-and-field champion , aspires to go to Life Indiegogo in Brazil . He had his right leg amputated four years ago after contracting bone cancer . The artificial leg will not do the thieves any good because it was custom-fitted for Steiner 's height and leg length .