Police are asking for witnesses to come forward after they say a 12-year-old was hurt when a stolen SUV crashed into a utility pole in Bridgeport.

The incident happened near Hancock and Railroad avenues around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

The 12-year-old’s mother tells News 12 her son suffered critical injuries.

"Blood on the brain, bruising on the brain, lacerations on his lungs," says the mother.

She says the child initially claimed he had been assaulted by a group of kids and only now is saying what actually happened.

The woman says she began panicking around 8 p.m. when she couldn't find her son.

"Could you imagine your baby in the street, and you didn't know where he was at, and you're not there to help him?" the woman said.

Police say they received multiple calls that an SUV had hit a utility pole but that the SUV was unoccupied when officers arrived. Police say the SUV was reported stolen earlier that day.

According to police, they later found out the juvenile had shown up to Bridgeport Hospital.

Police say he was evaluated there and then transported to Yale New Haven Hospital with serious injuries.

The mother tells News 12 she's telling her story as a single working mom to build awareness about what she calls the "destructive" influence kids can have on other kids. She says people in charge — everyone from school officials to local leaders to law enforcement — need to do a better job of keeping kids safe. Especially kids with special needs, like her son.

"He doesn't have the rationale, the ability to say, 'No I shouldn't do that,'" the woman said. "I can do but so much as a mother. I need somebody to step in and do something about these negative influences that I've reported over and over again. It takes for my son to get critically injured for them to begin to do something?"

Wayne Winston, of Bridgeport, says as a volunteer mentor to young people, he sees many kids who can easily take the wrong turn if they don't get that extra bit of attention from many of the programs and services available in the city.

"Because when you look back on so many people who have made it, they talk about when they were young, the mistakes they made. I think these kids are in many cases in the same position," said Winston.

This mom says she has so much to be grateful for, even though doctors say her son is facing a long and difficult recovery.

Police say its still unclear, who was driving the stolen SUV. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call police.