https://youtu.be/It1lVYqenYc
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- At 14:04 the couple who stole the bike walk in.
- At 14:07 a man believed to be an accomplice enters the store.
- At 14:09 the couple begin to set up their theft of the bike; after about 30 seconds the man moves the bike from its spot on the floor and glances between the door and back of the store until picking up the bike and walking out with it.
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They say bad things come in threes, and for Bikes Unlimited owner Barry Herneisey, he hopes that means he is done being victimized.
A surveillance video of thieves stealing a bike from Bikes Unlimited on Feb. 7 has generated almost 7,200 views on YouTube, but Herneisey is no closer to figuring out who stole the bike.
“There are no updates,” Herneisey said. “No further sightings or anything. The police have no clues.”
A few months before the theft of the bike, a limited edition 2008 Bianchi 926 that retails for $7,199, a thief stole two BMX bikes from the store. That thief was caught and is now making his way through the criminal justice system. Before that, a man who had just been released from jail went to a bank and opened a checking account with $1. The bank gave him a book of blank checks which he promptly used at Bikes Unlimited to purchase a bike.
When police tracked that man down, they found him in jail for a different offense. The bike was not recovered in any of the three cases.
The Bianchi was the most expensive bike in the store and may have been the only one in Virginia. Now it’s likely out of state, as selling such an uncommon bike in the area would attract too much attention, Herneisey said. The bike has a unique serial number, and he has set up notices on Craigslist so that he will receive an e-mail if that model of bike goes up for sale on the website.
Major Greg Riley of the Williamsburg Police Department said the investigation remains open, and that authorities have yet to identify any suspects.
Fortunately, Herneisey’s insurance policy covers the loss of the bike. In the meantime, he’s rearranged the store so that when he’s in the back area of the store working in the maintenance shop, he has a better line of sight to the front of the store. He’s also run a cable through some of the more expensive bikes on the floor, padlocking them.
“We hope we can learn from this experience and move forward,” Herneisey said. “It’s unfortunately made me more cynical about the people who come in my store.”
The video has attracted 20 comments on YouTube in addition to the thousands of views.
Someone came into the store and said he thought he saw one of the thieves on a bus, but Herneisey said it was probably someone who resembled the thief. The YouTube video came across the desk of the manager of a bike store in Connecticut who called Herneisey and said the thieves had entered his store and had stolen a bike. One of Herneisey’s former workers who now works at a bike shop in Pittsburgh also spotted the thieves in that store.
Anyone who has information about the theft or who can identify the people in the video should call Williamsburg police investigators at 220-2331.
Previous Coverage:
Video Catches Thieves Taking Bike – Know Them?
