Man Allegedly Steals $6,000 Bike, Mails It Back to Store Months Later
Last summer, a man allegedly stole a $6,000 bike from Piermont Bicycle Connection in Piermont, New York.
In late October, the shop received the gently used bike back in the mail.
With the help of the NYPD, the Piermont Police Department tracked down the man and arrested him on June 21, charging him with grand larceny in the third degree.
After allegedly stealing a $6,000 2019 Cannondale F-Si bike last summer from Piermont Bicycle Connection in Piermont, New York, a 40-year-old man from the Bronx who had frequently visited the store attempted to ship the bike back to the shop via UPS.
After the incident, the police circulated video footage online of the man believed to be the thief walking out of the store with the bike after lingering for about 30 minutes beforehand.
About two months after the theft, the man shipped it back to the store. The bike arrived in good condition, though it had been gently ridden.
“We were excited that it was returned...after a two month delay,” said Jason Barcoff, general manager of Piermont Bicycle Connection, told Bicycling.
Shop workers assume that he was prompted to return the bike due to social media pressure when the footage started making the online rounds, said Barcoff.
The bike shop did not press charges and decided to leave any kind of legal issues up to the police.
After the shop notified the Piermont police, they took the bike into custody to investigate how it got back to the store. With the help of the NYPD, they were able to track down the suspect in the Bronx.
The Piermont Police Department confirmed to Bicycling that the man was arrested on June 21 and charged with grand larceny in third degree. He is set for trial in July.
As for the bike? Despite its two months on the loose, it was recently sold.
The theft was the first time in 27 years that a bike was stolen from the shop, Barcoff said. Still, the store was due for a remodel before the incident, and they will be taking some precautions with it to make sure it doesn’t happen again—like moving merchandise out of a blind spot and relocating the door.
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