Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on September 2, 2011 at 6:06am

No arrests made. Swap-O-Rama security guy was talking with him when I walked out with my bikes...

Tim S said:

always nice to have a good ending to a story so often it is not.

 

What happened to the seller of the bikes?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tim S on September 2, 2011 at 6:12am

Hah, if only I had read your story on Page 2.

Elliot Bennett said:

No arrests made. Swap-O-Rama security guy was talking with him when I walked out with my bikes...

Tim S said:

always nice to have a good ending to a story so often it is not.

 

What happened to the seller of the bikes?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on September 2, 2011 at 6:28am

Just got an update from Scott...He recovered Laura's bike today!!!!! (see story below)

Elliot Bennett said:

FULL STORY...

 

Yesterday afternoon I received an email from a guy who identified himself as Scott. He said that he had found my bikes, and gave me his phone number. I called him immediately, and he told me that he was currently at Swap-O-Rama and that my bikes were there. Per the instructions of the police, I asked him to call 911 and report it. He said that as the owner, I needed to make the call...So I called 911 to report it. Sadly the Chicago Police were quite rude, and seemed very annoyed that I was calling about some bicycles...but to their credit they agreed to send someone out to check on it. 

I called Scott back, and told him that the police were on their way, although I wasn't hopeful about how quickly they would arrive. He said that he would wait there for the police, and I started to make my way down to Swap-O-Rama via public transit. 

While en route, Scott called me again to find out how long it would take me to arrive...the Police had shown up, but had told him that unless he was the owner and could prove ownership of the bicycles, they couldn't do anything. I still had a train transfer and a bus ride to go, so the police left and told Scott to call back if I showed up and could identify the bikes. 

At this point, Scott agreed to wait for me to arrive at Swap-O-Rama, which I did a short while later. When I arrived, I was met by Scott, his girlfriend Sarah and another bike theft victim named Laura. They told me where to find my bikes, and let me go and check them out. Both my wife's and my bikes were still together and intact, sitting outside a white truck with a bunch of other bikes. When I saw them I regrouped with Scott & Crew and called 911 again to report that I was the owner of stolen bikes that I had identified at Swap-O-Rama...The CPD again said that they would send someone to check it out. 

45 minutes later, we were still waiting for the police to show up. Scott and I were waiting at the McDonalds next to the Swap-O-Rama for the police, and Sarah and Laura were looking for their own stolen bicycles. While were were waiting, I learned that Scott had been down at the swap meet every day that it was open in the past week or so looking for Sarah's stolen Bike. He had been taking pictures of bikes, vendors, and license plates...and was checking the bikes he saw against the stolen registries. If he was able to identify them, he was calling the owners and reporting them. Evidently, he had helped two other people recover bikes earlier that week. Laura was another stolen bike victim, who's bike Scott had identified the previous day at the Alsip Swap-o-Rama...she had decided to come to the swap meet that day with them on the chance that her bike would be there...

Side Note: If it weren't for these three good samaritans, I wouldnt have my bikes again...so a HUGE shout out to Scott & Crew for their efforts...

  

...While we were still waiting for the police, Sarah and Laura came up and said that they had been speaking with the Swap-O-Rama security guard, who was actually an off-duty police officer. He told them that he could help us get the bikes back, but he couldn't make any arrests. I decided that at this point, I just wanted to get my bikes back. 

I went back into the Swap meet, and the security guys met me at the gate, they asked if I could prove the bikes were mine, and I told them that I had serial numbers and original purchase agreements. he told me to go find my bikes and stand by them...so I did. As I was looking at my bikes he came up and asked which ones were mine, I identified our two bikes, but as soon as we touched them...guys came out of nowhere and were all around us. (I was really glad that I didn't try and confront them myself) the security guard had me flip over the bikes so he could confirm the serial numbers, when they matched my paperwork he told me to leave with the bikes immediately. Sarah helped me walk the bikes out of the swap meet over to the McDonalds where I called for my family to come pick me & the bikes up. 

while waiting for my ride, the police showed up (a good hour+ after my phone call) When they learned that I had the bikes, they took my information and drove off again. No arrests were made, they didn't even ask which vendor it was.

 

 

Speaking of Vendors...There was a vendor at the Meet who played a huge role in reporting these bikes. To protect him and his business, I will call him V. V - you know who you are...thank you for your consistent reporting, and for your assistance in getting my bikes back.

 

Overall it was a pretty surreal experience. I really didn't expect to get anything back, let alone both of the bikes, with all of our lights and racks...I am really surprised that they were both still together. The only damage I have found so far was as follows:

- the handlebar tape had been removed from both bikes

- my bike has some significant scratches to the top tube and head tube

- both bikes have generator front hubs to power our bike lights, the wheels had been removed without disconnecting the lights, which stripped the wires out of the mounting...it is an easy fix, and wont require any cost or parts.

 

Once again, a HUGE Shout out & thank you to Scott, Sarah, Laura and V. You guys are rock stars. & Thank you to the Chainlink & the Chicago Stolen Bike registry, the recovery of our bikes was truly a community effort, and I am thankful for all of you!

Best Regards,

Elliot 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 2, 2011 at 6:35am

I nominate Scott for Chainlink Bike Recovery Commando of the Year.  If we ever meet up in a bar, Scott, drinks are on me (and probably every other cyclist in Chicago as well).

Elliot Bennett said:

Just got an update from Scott...He recovered Laura's bike today!!!!! (see story below)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Elliot Bennett on September 2, 2011 at 6:36am

Second!

Thunder Snow said:

I nominate Scott for Chainlink Bike Recovery Commando of the Year.  If we ever meet up in a bar, Scott, drinks are on me (and probably every other cyclist in Chicago as well).

Elliot Bennett said:

Just got an update from Scott...He recovered Laura's bike today!!!!! (see story below)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on September 7, 2011 at 10:06am

I'm happy to see that you got your bikes back, I only wish that you can blow the whistle on the fencing operation at Swap-o-Rama.  Are the TV stations in Chicago airing commercials for Swap-o-Rama?  If so, that might hinder their news operations from douing some investigation on their fencing.  It's hard for a reporter to do an investigative piece when the station is being paid to run Swap-o-Rama's ads.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on September 7, 2011 at 4:27pm

Yes, it does seem absurd that an open-air fencing operation like this continues to prosper, with an off-duty police officer as the paid security--talk about conflict of interests!  On the other hand, if the Swipe-O-Rama* (*thanks, Kevin C!) gets put out of business, where will you look if your bike gets stolen?  If all stolen bikes start getting fenced in random fast food parking lots and vacant lots, any chance at recovery might be impossible.  A small silver lining to the big grey cloud that is Swap.

Barry Niel Stuart said:

I'm happy to see that you got your bikes back, I only wish that you can blow the whistle on the fencing operation at Swap-o-Rama. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Vilda on September 8, 2011 at 2:04am

Howard, it is sad that we've stopped riding down there regularly. Perhaps if we had more man power, safety wouldn't be as much of a concern and our reliance on the crooked security staff wouldn't be a factor.

h' said:

Wow... it's been a banner week for stolen bicycle recovery.

Elliot's:

http://chicago.stolenbike.org/node/191680

http://chicago.stolenbike.org/node/191683

 

Tuesday:

http://chicago.stolenbike.org/node/191667

 

Sunday:

http://chicago.stolenbike.org/node/191715

 

I'm excited for Elliot and his wife, but saddened that past efforts to put the heat on that raging sore on the face of the Back of the Yards neighborhood have sort of blown away and the vendors aren't even finding it necessary to make an effort to keep hot bikes out of sight. Not surprised, but saddened.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Nick Skeba on July 12, 2012 at 2:24pm

Just retrieved my bike from swap o rama. Original lock was still attached to the bike, so just showed I had the key, end of story. No security, cops, or drama.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on July 12, 2012 at 3:07pm

Nice!  You showed it to the people selling it and they just gave it back?

Nick Skeba said:

Just retrieved my bike from swap o rama. Original lock was still attached to the bike, so just showed I had the key, end of story. No security, cops, or drama.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page