base2 

Even if he made assumptions. All the thief or last person in the custody chain has to say is they bought it fair & square from "some guy in the Jimmy John's parking lot" & that's it. It was bought, Officer Porkman can only legally assume it was their legit personal property unless he can prove he saw otherwise.

This is why property crime isn't illegal anymore, investigations cost so much & only organized theft rings get investigated. The actual thief, just doesn't have an established habit of illegal behavior to warrant suspicion, even if the seller would ID him...which of course, he wouldn't. Bit of a chicken & egg situation.

All that is to say the OP can totally assume all he wants. It just won't do him or anybody any good. There is what you know & what you can prove. The cop is limited only to what they can prove & the crooks know this.



The other issue, the serial number sticker. It's common practice to place a serial number sticker with a scannable barcode on an inconspicuous part of the frame. This is done for the benefit of inventory scanning systems at all levels of the distribution chain all the way to the end customer. The serial number (sans barcode) will still be permanently stamped on the frame somewhere.

Removing the sticker doesn't really do anything other than make someone have to manually enter the number into a text box on an inventory control system screen. The sticker is simply a convenience to allow a handheld barcode scanner; to afford the opportunity of greater supply chain efficiency & reduce inventory errors.

308jerry

I've never been pulled over on any bike or vehicle for that matter for the popo to look at serial numbers or VIN. I seriously have never looked at the numbers on my bikes I've bought used... Santa would have never known, if OP hadn't got on the soap box and shouted to the world..... I'd ride it like it was mine because I bought it legitimately...

Bald Paul

Not illegal anymore? Well, that's good to know! Care to share your address? I have a "friend" that needs things for his apartment, like a new TV, furniture, and just about anything I can lay my hands on while you're gone. Hey, it's not illegal, right?

CliffordK

My father bought a stolen bike a long time ago. After getting it home he called the police department to check the serial number. I think everything was mainly handled through the police department.

In that case, the bike had changed hands a couple of times including trades before getting picked up.

Ultimately, I don't believe any money was ever returned to my father.

For a "high end" bike, an insurance company is likely also involved. So, the insurance company may get control over the bike. Perhaps an offer could be made to buy it back.

Lombard

^^^This.^^^ If the guy you bought the bike from is indeed a fence, you don't want any further direct communication with him. Let the police handle it from here. Lick your wounds and move on.

AJW2W11E

I thought about it . This wasn't a violent crime. You put the seller in jail, and then he's out and maybe homeless, and a bigger burden on society.
(our city has a major homeless problem)
So I drove into the city to confront the seller. The place was a bit spooky. No answer at the door
Went back to my car to think this over,
I checked my phone. I noticed that Bike Index let me Login now. (it didn't yesterday) .
I pulled up the owner's information.
There was a phone number and I called it.
The owner confirmed it and gave me her address and I returned the Bike to her..
I realize there are other solutions, but I wasted two days and a 100 miles on this. This is it for me.

gene99

no offense, but i wonder, was the deal 'too good to be true'? if it was maybe you shouldn't have bought it in the first place.

Camilo

And why even check the serial number against a database? It wouldn't have crossed my mind because I guess I wouldn't have thought about it being stolen. I've bought and sold many bikes and frames used locally and through ebay and even this site. It never crossed my mind to check if they were stolen.

But if I suspected it might be stolen, why wait til after the purchase to check it? Wouldn't it be smarter to check it before forking over the money.

Polaris OBark

Thank you for doing the right thing!

indyfabz

P.T. Barnum was right.

jaxgtr

Who's to say she did not sell it, report it stolen and now she gets to sell it again. Stranger things have happened.

zandoval 

I wonder how this will end?

Turn the bike into the police resulting with No bike and No money eventually?
Take the bike back to the seller and get your money back then report it to the police?
Scratch the frame and part out all the components?
Find the original owner and return the bike?
Keep the bike after you shoot it with rattle can flat black... Ha?

I am sure glad its not me...

rickpaulos

Address would be in any city with a large homeless population. Even if the local police arrest suspects, they are shortly back on the street with no followup.

joey buzzard

No offense, but your comment strikes me as being a little bit self righteous. The original poster never said how much she paid for the bike, so why would you assume the deal "was too good to be true"??

Subsequent to learning that the bike was stolen, she sought advice here as to how to deal with this problem in the most kind and ethical way she could. Why the need to chirp in with that "deal too good to be true" nonesense? She's probably out of pocket some money now. Your remark is a bit unhelpful and definitely unnecessary.

Chuck Naill

Excellent point.

Lombard

Well I sure hope the deal was "too good to be true" as the OP is out whatever $$ she paid regardless.

Lombard

Post #31 shows her choice which IMO was the right thing to do. She has a conscience.

gene99

she never says how she bought the bike - e.g., ebay? ad? someone known? and who buys a bike like a Synapse without knowing which model it is? someone who gets a deal that's too good to be true. sorry but her whole story sounds fishy to me.

BTinNYC 

Thank you for showing us how this situation is best handled. Sorry about the money lost, but that $#i+ comes and goes. Your ethics are amazing. It's easy to pontificate for others, but you have walked the walk.

Schweinhund

In my state, you can take it to the police station as a found item. If someone claims it and has POP, they take it.
If, after 30 days, it's unclaimed, it's yours. and you have a receipt from the popo.

PeteHski

I was wondering this too. I wonder how the OP bought the bike? Was it via a private ad, online sale or some guy on a street corner? It would be interesting to know to get the whole story.

Chuck Naill

Now I am curious how you to came together to transact the sale of a bike? This whole story sounds "fishy".

I've certainly bought products off Craigslist and have met one female in a parking lot for both of our protection. Otherwise, at the seller's home.

rumrunn6

how much did you lose on this?
how will this change your shopping procedures?

Chuck Naill

I am guessing not posting buyer decisions here...LOL!!!

soyabean

Not really.

In another 10 years, the world will be so much more woke than it is today, that it will be a legal obligation for a buyer to do all the work in returning confirmed stolen property back to its owner, or face punishment from the law as an accomplice to the crime.