• Dozzi92@lemmy.world
    34·
    1 day ago

    Had a friend in Philly who had his bike stolen. Custom paint job, BMX, it was his bike, no doubt about it. He knows who stole it too, sees a shady character every day, and eventually sees him riding it. He yells at the dude, that’s my bike, and I’m going to get it back.

    One day he sees it chained up to a sign. Happens to be right near a hardware store, and goes in, gives the worker his phone as collateral for some bolt cutters, goes out, cuts the chain off, and takes his bike back.

    This all happened while we were at a party at his house, and he walks in all triumphant, it was pretty spectacular shit.

  • bryophile@lemmy.zip
    22·
    1 day ago

    Funny that this bicycle thief still has such faith in humanity that he trusts you to not ride off with the bike

  • Tuxman@sh.itjust.works
    17·
    1 day ago

    Obligatory plug for 529 Garage which is a community led database for stolen bikes. Police usually know about it so if they bust a fencing warehouse and see the sticker, they will be able to find the owner.

    https://project529.com/

      • Tuxman@sh.itjust.works
        7·
        1 day ago

        My bad 🤣 calling it a sticker is a bit reductive. It takes time and effort to remove without damaging the bike, and it’s a sign for thieves that this bike is in a prevention database.

        • Surp@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          1 day ago

          Ehh serial numbers can be filed off I’m sure thieves don’t care about getting $20 for a bike anyways if it’s some paint damage. A cheap can of rustolium might be an investment the thief makes to prevent rusting on the filed off part as well

      • Katana314@lemmy.worldEnglish
        6·
        1 day ago

        While the stickers are one option, you can also enter the bike’s serial, which is etched on at manufacture time. It’s a little less likely they’ll check, but good to have a record especially for anyone buying a bike used.

  • Washedupcynic@lemmy.caEnglish
    83·
    2 days ago

    Something similar happened to me. When my bike was stolen, I notified all of my local bike shops with pics of my bike, and a detailed description about where damage to the frame was, and the numbers stamped on the bottom of the frame. Also filed a police report. I was devastated because this was a bike I built, and therefore custom. (I bought the frame, fork, derailers, chain, rims, tires, handlebar ect as separate components and put it together myself.)

    The thief brought the bike into one of the local shops because he couldn’t figure out how to inflate the tires through the presta valves. The bike shop recognized it, told him to wait while they took care of things, called the police and stalled long enough for the police to show up and arrest the guy.

    I eventually got my bike back after it was done being evidence. Fuck bike thieves.

    • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
      5·
      1 day ago

      It’s too bad you had to do the jobs that we pay cops to do, but they were too busy sitting on the side of the road pulling people over, and making the roadways less safe.

    • flambonkscious@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      41·
      2 days ago

      When was this that the police cared about a petty burglary?

      I’m not saying it didn’t happen, I guess I’m still sour about when my garage was broken into, one bike stolen and another dragged out and run over (it was incomplete, they probably thought it was ready to go and left it in the road like savages)

      • ricecake@sh.itjust.works
        8·
        1 day ago

        Not all cops in all places are all bad all the time. They’re always part of a deeply broken system and all the other parts of the usual rant about cops, but that doesn’t mean they never do a good thing.

        Most cynically: it’s basically a free bump to their performance numbers.
        Most leftishly: a business called, which is closer to who they work for.
        Most probably: theif was still there and someone was close enough that they’d be doing more than taking a meaningless report to file.

      • 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip
        26·
        2 days ago

        if you basically solve the case for them and all they have to do is to come, pick up the thief and improve their statistics, they might be more eager than if you want them to work.

        • flambonkscious@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
          11·
          2 days ago

          Indeed. Hence, thieves pretty quickly learned to move the stolen items to other cities…

          There’s plenty of examples I’ve seen locally where airtags and the like are indicating where the items are but have raised no interest from police, sadly (in fairness, the hidden airtags could have been removed, etc).

          Some good advice I was given was that I should claim the insurance and let it all go - stalking through sites trying to find the stolen stuff only adds to the anguish. This was from a builder who was forced to park on the street and discovered his van had been burgled every 10 months or so. He learned to stop looking for the tools online. Even when it was empty of tools people would take sunnies or a jacket

      • Washedupcynic@lemmy.caEnglish
        9·
        2 days ago

        25 years ago. Not sure if the shop called 911 or the local PD.

        I recently had a bike stolen from where I work. I happen to work for the state government so the theft was caught on multiple cameras. State police found the guy 2 weeks later after issuing a BOLO, arrested him, and since he was already out on parole due to a previous record, the thief went straight to prison. This last incident was 2 years ago.

        ACAB, but despite that some actually enjoy solving crimes.

        • ReluctantMuskrat@lemmy.world
          2·
          1 day ago

          This really is amazing. I had my motorcycle stolen several years ago and couldn’t get the cops to give a crap. Recovered it a month later, wrecked and abandoned in front of a house and cops couldn’t even be bothered to try and get fingerprints off it. Instead called me at 11:30 at night and said if didn’t get there and pick it up within 30 min, they’d have it towed and I’d be charged for it. About the same experience when I had my car broken into and stuff stole out of it.

          Glad they seem to give a crap where you live.

  • Kindness is Punk@lemmy.ca
    56·
    2 days ago

    This happened to me except that straight up told them that was my bike and said I’m taking it now. I did verify that they weren’t in a dire financial state before I left though because if it meant they were not going to eat tonight, I wanted to make sure they were taken care of.

  • PrimeMinisterKeyes@leminal.spaceEnglish
    26·
    2 days ago

    I just pictured a movie scene in my head where she narrowly escapes the seller, riding the bike like a bat out of hell. He pulls out a gun, starts shooting as she disappears in the distance. A cop car arrives, lights flashing. She’s forced to take narrow and hazardous back alleys. Cut to police dogs barking. She fords a river while carrying the bike over her shoulder to erase the scent.
    Late at night, still riding the bike, she arrives at her home, totally exhausted, covered with dirt and leeches, hair disheveled, only to find her actual bike - that looks exactly like the one she just stole from the guy, who is really poor and had to sell the bike to pay for his divorce - chained to the lamp post in front of her house, the same place where she had left it.

  • village604@adultswim.fanEnglish
    28·
    2 days ago

    I had my bike stolen once because someone borrowed it to go to class and didn’t lock it up.

    I got it back eventually because the state required bikes to be registered, but I hate how it was found.

    Some cops saw a black dude riding a nice bike and figured it must be stolen. They were right, but their justification is shit. And it wasn’t even an expensive bike, just a $150 Walmart one.

    • DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world
      5·
      2 days ago

      You say /s but I vaguely remember someone being arrested for something similar in the US. Because I guess justice without the approval of a judge is illegal over there.

      • 14th_cylon@lemmy.zip
        2·
        2 days ago

        I vaguely remember someone being arrested for something similar in the US

        arrested for what. riding your own bike?

        • DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world
          4·
          1 day ago

          Taking your own stuff back without giving the bloodsuckers (lawyers) their tribute.

          It definitely happens all the time with houses and apartments (kicking out squatters/trespassers), but I think I also read it in regards to taking back your own car or something like that. It was a long time ago so I don’t remember the details.

          I think it was that the owner called the cops, those did nothing because thief claimed it is his (despite owner being the registered owner). Owner was told to sue the thief so that judge decides who is telling the truth. So owner took the car later and got arrested.