Stolen bike? Meet the messenger reuniting people with their rides
Ryan Woozley is a full-time bike messenger in Winnipeg with a unique hobby: he reunites people with their stolen bikes.
In between deliveries, Woozley keeps an eye on local Facebook groups where people post photos and details about their stolen bikes. In a city where bike theft is a serious problem — it has risen by 109% in the past two years — there are plenty of people left wondering what to do when their wheels disappear.
That's where Woozley comes in. When he spots a stolen bike he's seen online, he contacts the owner to confirm that it is, in fact, their bike. If the descriptions match, he begins the reclamation process.
"If I'm certain that's the stolen bike, I throw an extra bike lock on it so it's not going anywhere. I try and contact the owner, and try and get somebody down with bolt cutters to get the thief's lock off it."
Recently, he spotted a stranger riding what appeared to be a friend's bike. Woozley confronted the man, saying "hey buddy, you're on top of my friend's stolen bike."
The man told Woozley that he'd purchased the bike from his friend, but agreed to split the difference and sell it back for half the amount he'd paid.
Woozley told Now or Never host Ify Chiwetelu that he doesn't necessarily condone reclaiming stolen property, but feels like the police aren't doing enough to curb bike theft. So he took the job into his own hands.
"It could get really dangerous. But a lot of times, [the police] are not going to respond to it."
In response to the increase in bicycle theft, Winnipeg Police recently released tips on how to prevent your bicycle from being stolen. According to spokesman Const. Rob Carver, the rise in theft reflects an increased interest in cycling — meaning there are more bikes on the road that could be stolen.
"A bike today has way more technology than it did 15 years ago. It's also a much more expensive item, so what was stealing a $150 item some years ago is now stealing an $800 item or a $1,000 item or more."