AKRON, Ohio — For a year, an Akron woman said she lived without her sense of security after Akron Police drove through the fence on her property during a chase.
Shelly Gladman requested assistance from the city of Akron to rebuild her fence.
Gladman says she couldn't get an answer and turned to social media for help.
That's when two Akron contractors, Jacob Pridgen and Osikena Okolo, who own Brotherhood Enterprise Inc., came out to Shelly's house and got the fence back up in a day, for free. Gladman says the two men not only restored her sense of security but also her faith in humanity.
"The gentlemen who were involved with this, what they did for me, it was worth more than what the city could ever pay me," said Gladman.
The weekend of October 4, 2025, the City of Akron confirmed it sent Gladman a check for $1,118.46 to cover the fence damage. More than a year before, on September 16, 2024, Gladman's fence was knocked down during a pursuit. Akron Police confirm they were chasing a woman on a bike without a taillight.
"I know they're in pursuit of someone, but they were uncaring, nonchalant about the whole thing, the gentleman that I spoke with," said Gladman.
News 5 requested the police report from the incident, which said the woman had meth in her backpack and multiple warrants for her arrest.
The cruiser went right through the fence and into Gladman's backyard. She said, "I assumed that they would help. At least pick up the fence once they pull the cruiser out. And they didn't."
Usually, she sits outside in the evenings by her fire pit. Luckily, she said that night she wasn't outside.
After the fence was knocked down, Gladman said she felt an eerie sensation at her home.
"This summer and spring, we didn't use my backyard. We never came out. It was just that kind of feeling. I just didn't want to participate," said Gladman.
Three months after the incident in December 2024, Gladman said she began filing claims for property reimbursement from the city to attempt to rebuild her fence.
"I had faith in the city, I really did," said Gladman. After being denied her claim in December and refilling with more paperwork, Gladman said she was denied help again in April.
When News 5 inquired about these claims, the city stated it had no further comment.
Strangers to Gladman, Osikena Okolo, and Jacob Pridgen took matters into their own hands.
"I first heard about it through Facebook. I saw a post kind of detailing what happened, and I saw some pictures, saw that there was really no response," said Okolo.
Okolo and Pridgen rebuilt the fence at no cost.
"We have the resources and something like this, we want to give back to the community, and this is our way of giving back."
Gladman said she would like to repay the contractors for their work. Okolo and Pridgen said it won't be necessary.
"She was in need, and for the fence to not be done for over a year, for us to come in and knock it out in one day, it was something simple, something that the city could have done easily," said Pridgen.
"Thank you to everybody, and thank you to you guys as well. It makes a difference when you are heard," said Gladman.
