A Hopeful Update On Bike Theft In Ditmas Park

Last month in Ditmas Park, it felt like we were seeing a lot of theft–home and car break ins, rim stealing, and bikes, too. Inspector Rodriguez of the 70th Precinct told us that, along with the usual electronics and jewelry, bike thefts were becoming a more common issue in the area. However, the insistence of some neighbors and hard work by the 70th may have curtailed some of that.

A neighbor contacted us on July 15 about his roommate’s bike (above), which had last been spotted on Stratford Road between Caton and Church Avenues. Having reviewed security footage from the theft, he says:

On 7/15/2013 Mr. Bike Thief rolls up to our apartment with a stolen bike, seeing a generic looking Nashbar, and decides he would like to ride 3 bikes home. He then uses an angle grinder to cut the bike free, and rides away. The police were notified.

We examined the surveillance footage of the thief to get a positive ID, and decided what course of action to take. Do we do a stake-out, a sting? We decide to do morning patrols of the neighborhood based on the footage of the thief.

On Saturday 7/20/2013 while riding in Park Slope, the thief is spotted. He has an early morning catch: a black road bike with straight bars, which he is ghost riding south toward Ditmas. He is pursued from a distance while unbeknownst to him the police are being called. The 911 operator conveys that the police will not show up for this. They are called again and dispatch a car to the pursuit.

The thief noticed my roommate and asked him if the stolen bike-of-the-day was his, at the same time asking if he wanted this newly stolen bike. My roommate declined this generous offer, and maintained pursuit. While heading north on E. 18th St, and police arrive and see the chase. The thief notices the police and ditches the stolen bike. The police then cut the thief off and make the arrest. An angle grinder is visible in his messenger bag.

While he says he does not expect her roommate’s bike to be recovered, it’s good to hear that the 70th ultimately responded to the call, someone else might have his or her bike returned, and one less person may be stealing bikes from the streets of Ditmas Park (and Park Slope, and beyond) in the future. It’s a good story about being persistent in communicating issues to the local authorities, and kudos to them for getting on top of it.

We have reached out to the precinct for more details, and will keep you updated if we hear more.