A Toronto man took matters into his own hands and stole his bicycle back after it went missing from a bike rack at a GO Transit station.
On Wednesday, a 19-year-old identified as Nicholas said that he locked his bike up at a rack at Mimico Station. But when he returned later in the evening, it was gone.
“I got there and I didn’t see it there and my heart just sank. Because it was my father’s bike, and he gave it to me, it was very important to me.”
Nicholas searched for the bike on Kijiji and found a listing for a 2019 felt racer bike, which was being sold for $500. He said he knew right away that it was his.
“On the wheel right here I have blue spray paint,” he said.
Toronto resident Nicholas says his bike was stolen and posted for sale on Kijiji. (CTV News Toronto)
Nicholas said he reported the incident to police, but was told that officers couldn’t help him. He decided to take matters into his own hands and made arrangements to buy his bicycle back.
He met the seller downtown that same night, but instead of purchasing the bike, Nicholas said he confronted the thief.
“He said ‘so, you wanna buy it?’ And I grabbed it immediately and I said ‘yeah because it’s my bike I’m taking it.’ And we walked over to some bystanders who helped us with it and he just fled,” he said.
“My heart was racing. Like - I was ecstatic when I got it back within a few hours of it being gone.”
Metrolinx confirms there is security video of the incident, but won’t release it because the investigation is ongoing. A spokesperson said that the video shows the owner parking his bicycle at the station rack. Later, two men are seen getting off a train and stealing the same bike.
“I don't believe it to be a daily occurrence, however we do see on occasion bikes get stolen from our stations,” said Jeff Ekubor, transit safety supervisor at GO Transit.
Metrolinx Transit Safety Supervisor Jeff Ekubor says the agency does its best to prevent bike thefts. (CTV News Toronto)
Ekubor said that Metrolinx does its best to prevent bike thefts, but it’s also up to customers to protect their own property.
“We're quite happy for the passenger that they were able to get their bike back; however, we don't recommend that anybody ever attempt to confront a criminal.”
Metrolinx said they will continue to investigate the theft and if the suspects are caught, they could face criminal charges.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Tracy Tong
