UNBELIEVABLE!!!! I just found my stolen bike!! (long) (Page 2)

I think the OP sounds like pretty good people for sending the bike-napper the seat and a gift certificate.  Karma.

I know a guy who found a bike, reported it to the police, and they said if no one responded within (X) days/weeks/months he could keep it.  Someone reported the bike stolen within a week and my friend, obviously, returned the bike.  Ended up getting a reward too.

It sounds to me that he knew he did something wrong. Otherwise, he'd have asked for proof. I think I would if I truly found a bike. 

I think before you do any gift certificate thing I would see if he did in fact report the "find" to the police.

That's Awesome!!!

Thank to share this great story with us....and...You are very lucky man!!!

I say drop it from here and pay it forward to someone else that has a hard time.

Forget this gift certificate stuff and mail him back the seat if you want, but I would not keep this thing going.

Wow....amazing you found and were able to get your bike back. Hope she gets fixed up and good to ride soon.

My bike that was stolen when I was 13 or 14 Schwinn Varsiety was found and recovered by the police a few years later. I don't recall what happened to it though.

"Perfectly" would have been follow the guy home.  Inform the cops get a copy of the serial number and let them handle it.  As it is the perp got off easy.  I highly doubt his son found it.  Should have asked if he even had a son.  I'm glad you got your bike back.  Benefit for the doubt they did recover it from the road.   If that was the case they should have contacted to police.  If it was worth picking up it wasn't junk yet.  There is no marrit time law on land.  Just cause its there doesn't mean you can keep it.   You may have taken a risk to follow him home but you know that. 

That being said I don't know how I would of handle it.  Maybe I'd have to buy a rear wheel too.  Little rear end tap ya know. 

Maybe the guy wants to buy the bike from you?  You don't need it and unless another person drops a bike on the highway - he needs one. 

That's a pretty cool story.  Congrats on finding the bike.  I see what you are saying about Karma, but the truth is the guy didn't make an effort to return the bike to its owner before he dropped some coin on it - so that's his Karma right there.

2nd that on the fact that he fixed up the seat and wheel but left a paper towel in the box?

btw : what kind of d-bag blames his son right off? 

Update:  I called the Police Department today to give them additional info on an employee theft case.  Don't ask.

I told the officer that they could close the case on my bike and gave him the short version of my story.  He didn't directly ask if I wanted to press charges, but hinted at it.  He wanted the guys name for the file.  I gave it and his address.  Case closed!

Thanks for all of the positive comments.  BT is GREAT!!

Congrats on getting the bike back and also not getting into a bad situation over it.

You mean this bike? Actually the person that found it contacted us here at BT to see if we'd be able to help find the owner. I knew exactly who he meant because it had been posted here.  That was definitely an "I have the best job in the world" day.