Reader Vanessa has just emailed us with this information:
“Some time within the last 24 hours, a bike was stolen from 4413 Baltimore Ave. I’m writing in because the thief actually cut through a wrought-iron fence (!!) to take it. Pretty brazen, and kind of scary. It was in the back garden of the building, which is also brazen because the bike wasn’t at all visible from the street (or even from the front of the building).
It’s a brand new Specialized Vita with a black frame and adorable hot-pink handlebars. It was a really special Christmas present, so there’s some sentimental value… It has a Keswick Cycles sticker on the frame.
It was properly locked with two locks. If anyone sees this bike, or if anyone asks you for advice on cutting a Kryptonite New York chain lock, please let me know! I’m offering a $200 reward (and undying gratitude) for its return, no questions asked.
I’d also like to know if other people have had their bikes/parts stolen recently. The details of this theft make me think that whoever took it was a “professional.””
If you have any information about Vanessa’s bike (pictured below), please email her at: vhamer[at]gmail.com
January 12th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
My bike was stolen a year ago by the iron fence being cut. Honestly, the fence was old and worn so I got over my shock quickly, but yes, the lock and everything was on it–they just cut the fence. It was stolen overnight. I luckily found it a month later with a number of the components swapped out, but I recognized it well enough and got it back. It had been sold to some girl via Craigslist, and she claimed to have bought it from someone around the Italian market at Washington, although the number she provided as contact for this apparent seller never picked up. If you had the serial number written down, you can call the cops if you find it around town, and they can cut the lock for you, but only if you have the serial number. Anyway, good luck.
January 12th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
Same thing happened to my house-mate here on the 4200 block of Baltimore … oh, about 6-7-8 years ago. Exactly the same modus operandi. Since then I do not permit anyone to leave their bikes outside, must be brought in.
January 13th, 2012 at 9:34 am
Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. I live on the 4300 block of Baltimore and had an unlocked bike stolen from our usually locked alley in the spring of 2010. (I wasn’t using the bike much at the time and did not actually notice right away that it had been stolen so I’m not sure if the alley had been locked at the time.) This is making me think twice about leaving even locked bikes in the alley. Good luck to you!
January 13th, 2012 at 9:41 am
Good luck recovering your bike! Make sure you give a flyer to all the local bike shops; sometimes they are able to spot stolen bikes and return them to their owners.
January 13th, 2012 at 9:56 am
We live on the 500 block of South 46th St. We’ve had several bikes stolen via this method. My husbands brand new Fuji was stolen within 25 min of him locking it up. He usually kept it in the garage, but one particular evening after biking home from work, since he was late, he locked it to the grate on the window in the back of our house. (Which has alley access) Came in, ate dinner with the family, and not more than half an hour later went back out to move it to the garage. Gone! They had to have some pretty heavy duty cutting devices to get through the steel cable lock and all that wrought iron. Replacement bike was also stolen. (That one was not as expensive) Now he has a beater bike that he bought for $50. For some reason they leave that one alone? I searched eBay and Craigslist for months for his Fuji but we never recovered it. 🙁 So sad that people need to “make their living” this way!
January 13th, 2012 at 10:42 am
Thanks, everyone, for your stories and support, and to WPH for sharing my experience. I will keep my eyes open and fingers crossed.
January 13th, 2012 at 11:10 am
My partner often tells the story of the time she came home to find a guy with a BLOWTORCH about to torch the porch railing her bike was locked to near 47th and Chester. That was the last time she locked up outside.
January 14th, 2012 at 6:47 am
I’m on Springfield between 47th and 48th, and someone tried to use the blowtorch method on my bike on Thanksgiving (jerk!). Luckily, they couldn’t get through my Kryptonite U lock, and just made the plastic bits around the lock melty and charred. I joked that it must have been some kid using his mom’s creme brulee torch, but knowing that this can actually work makes me nervous!