Bike theft sees 77-percent increase

Last month, Ben Hardy rode his bike to Huntsman Hall at 10 p.m., locked it to the bike rack and then headed inside for a long night of studying. At about 2 a.m., the Wharton and Nursing junior exited the building only to find his bike had been stolen.

“All that was left was the little fragment of the cable lock,” he said.

Hardy is one of many students at Penn who have had their bike stolen. Bike theft in the last two months increased 100 percent from last year, from 10 to 20 in August and from 16 to 32 in September. It has also increased 77 percent this year to date from last year, according to the Division of Public Safety.

The “huge spike” in bike theft is primarily due to serial perpetrators, Vice President for Public Safety Maureen Rush said.

“We’re seeing a pattern,” she said. “The people we have our eyes on now have stolen not just one bicycle … they’re going to take the easy, low-hanging fruit.”

INTERACTIVE: Bike theft 2010-2011

The majority of these thefts occur when bikes are improperly locked. Most perpetrators steal from “the people whose bicycle locks are mostly flimsy cable locks,” which can be easily broken with a vice grip or pliers, Rush said. Bicycles are also vulnerable when U-locks are incorrectly attached, or when bikes are attached to parking meters or the wooden rungs near many off-campus houses.

Hardy had locked the frame of his bike to the rack with a cable lock and locked the wheel of his bike to the frame with a U-lock.

“The guy who took my bike cut through the [lock] with a cable cutter. Turns out I didn’t lock up the bike perfectly well,” he said. “I could have locked it up better, but that’s how I was taught to lock it up at the bike shop.”

Hardy, who used his bike both recreationally and to get to class or clinicals at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, spent over $800 on his bike including the locks and upgrades. Hardy is considering buying a cheaper, used bike on Craigslist, but is not convinced it’s worth it.

“This whole ordeal has made me pretty paranoid,” he said.

A defining characteristic of bike thieves is that they assimilate into Penn’s campus, Rush said.

“They’re basically professional thieves, they dress up in Penn uniforms,” said Hardy, who later obtained information about the perpetrator after filing a police report. “The guy who stole my bike was wearing a Penn shirt … they go through great lengths to disguise themselves.”

DPS arrested two men in August after they were caught stealing a bike. One of the men confessed to stealing 10 other bikes from campus. Currently, DPS is looking into several other suspects who they believe have stolen multiple bikes.

Hardy filed the police report the night his bike was stolen. Currently, the police have a primary suspect and hope to obtain a warrant soon, Hardy said.

Some students, such as Wharton sophomore Ryan Soroka, have avoided the risk of getting their bike stolen by taking extra precautions. As Soroka bikes frequently — about 20 miles a week at Penn and 50 miles a week during the summer — getting a bike stolen would pose a serious problem. Soroka keeps his bike inside his apartment when possible and opted to bring his dad’s old, refurbished bike from the ‘70s to school, which was cheaper than the bike he uses at home.

“I don’t understand why people are leaving their bikes outside in the first place,” Soroka said. “You wouldn’t leave your wallet outside unattended, so why would you leave something valuable outside? That’s why I keep my bike inside so I can keep an eye on it.”

One week after Hardy filed the report, police recovered the bike, which had been dumped and damaged beyond use. “I was pretty certain I wouldn’t get it back because I didn’t register the bike with the police, which I definitely should have. But the day after I reported the theft they called me in, they let me take a look at the security footage,” he said. “They were pretty conscientious of it all. The follow-up was good.”

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.