A Reddit Thread Actually Helped Vancouver Police Find $20K Worth Of Stolen Bikes

Social media has saved the day — or at least some expensive uber rides — helping find $20,000 of stolen bikes in Vancouver.

Vancouver police said that officers seized the stolen bikes from a rooftop in Gastown last week, after getting tips on the location.

The tips came from rumours on social media, like this Reddit post showing the rooftop with a stack of bikes.

It's not often that you hear about Reddit solving issues instead of creating them so this is a big win.

After seeing the tips, officers investigated the rooftop stash. They found out that the bikes were getting onto the roof by being lowered down from a neighbouring building by a rope.

They found the spot, and on November 22, 2021, seized nine bikes. Among the bikes were brands like Giant, Cervelo, Santa Cruz, Trek, Rocky Mountain, and Reign.

Now the police department is now searching for the owners, so they can return the stolen bikes.

“Even without a serial number, we can sometimes locate the rightful owners based on unique features on the bike, so anyone who’s recently had their bike stolen should call police to file a police report. Our staff will contact you if we have your bike," said Sergeant Steve Addison in the release.

Addison added that they "know how many people depend on their bikes for recreation and to move around the city, so we’re working as fast as we can to get these bikes back to their rightful owners.”

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.