Who's pilfering scooters?
ADY DYER has a hunch that whoever who stole her motor scooter from in front of her home in South Philadelphia wasn't working alone.
JADY DYER has a hunch that whoever who stole her motor scooter from in front of her home in South Philadelphia wasn't working alone.
She said her gray Bajaj Chetak scooter had a locked ignition when it disappeared about two weeks ago from her home on Greenwich Street near Passyunk Avenue, right before Marie Ubaldini's Honda scooter was stolen from 8th Street near Christian.
"You either have a group of people working, or some really knowledgeable people doing it," Dyer said, adding that aside from the recent thefts, crime is relatively rare in her neighborhood.
Victims said their scooters were stolen early in the morning, and were not locked to a fixed object - like a pole or bike rack.
On Monday, Amy Berger went to walk her dog and realized that her scooter had been stolen from in front of her home near 11th and Mifflin earlier that morning.
The same morning, an orange Vespa was stolen near 9th and Mifflin, and a black and brown Genuine Buddy scooter disappeared from 12th and Mifflin.
Amy's husband, Erik, said the handlebars and wheels on Berger's black Genuine Buddy scooter, with pink stars on the helmet case, were locked at an angle - meaning a thief trying to wheel it away would end up walking around in circles.
Aside from the Police Department and Craigslist, local scooter enthusiasts have used Scooteralert.com to get the word out and offer rewards.
"We're hoping that it turns up, but we're not too optimistic," Berger said. "We plan to get another bike, but also doing a better job of keeping it chained up."