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