HAVERHILL, MASS. (WHDH) - A Haverhill father built a special “Star Wars” costume for his son so he can take part in the town’s Halloween celebrations.

Tommy Hardy Jr. is 12 years old and has cerebral palsy and autism. He uses a wheelchair and his father Tom Hardy built the special X-Wing Fighter plane to go around it.

“It’s not always easy walking around with a child in a wheelchair, little kids tend to stare more,” said Hardy. “Maybe in a negative light they see him, now with this? Tommy gets to be the rock star and the kids will be like, ‘Wow, that’s the greatest thing in the world.'”

The fighter plane’s engines light up and Tommy even has R2-D2 coming along for the ride, just like in the movies. Hardy and his friends kept the plane a secret and just revealed the costume to Tommy this week. Hardy’s friend Gary Sewell, who helped build the costume, said Tommy absolutely loved it.

Tommy’s parents will also be dressing up as they attend the Halloween celebrations in Haverhill this weekend with him. His father is going as Chewbacca and his mother will be a Stormtrooper.

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