Door cameras and amateur detectives tracked down this guy's stolen bike

When Ryan Ciaciek, 38, of London, Ont., discovered his bike was missing from his garage last week, he jumped in the car and for hours scoured neighbourhood streets. But it wasn't until he enlisted the help of people on Facebook that he was able to locate his bike.

"They had taken doorbell or porch camera video of somebody who was riding a bike," said Ciaciek, who lives in the city's east end. "I noticed that was exactly my bike."

Ciaciek's bike has red rims and a few modifications which he recognized. "I literally wrapped duct tape around my handlebars so that my fingers and wrists don't hurt after three or four hours of riding."

Ciaciek didn't report the bike stolen, "because typically, if somebody's in that sort of state having to take stuff from a person's garage, the police probably aren't going to help the situation," he said.

"It's more of a situation for social workers and social services."

Ciaciek purchased the bike on clearance from Canadian Tire about 12 years ago, he said. The bike was important not because of its value, but because he had cycled with it on a memorial ride for a high school friend who had died of a fentanyl overdose last summer.

At one point, a Facebook user posed a picture of the bike and listed the property where it was taken.

"I went to the property and it was a bit dishevelled," said Ciaciek. "You could tell that somebody who is living there might have been in distress and in need of supports."

Ciaciek knocked on the door and met an older woman. She told Ciaciek her son lived there, but that he was out.

"I got in my car...and I noticed somebody coming up riding a bike and I'm like, 'Oh, my god, is this it?'"

Ciaciek confronted the man, who said he'd found the bike in a nearby dumpster, and agreed to hand it over.

The London Police Service says its unsafe to approach anyone who is believed to have stolen property. "If a member of the public has information in relation to where a stolen bike may be located, they are reminded to call police," said police spokesperson Const. Sandasha Bough. "There is no way to know who is in possession of that bike. To ensure their safety, they are encouraged to always call police.  

Ciaiciek said he agreed to return to the house to tell the man's mother he hadn't stolen the bike. "I was just like, 'I'm not sure if your son stole the bike or not — he says he just found it, so cut him some slack,'" said Ciaciek.

Ciaciek is now storing his bike inside his home.