Virginia Beach, Va. - The whizzing and weaving of bicycles at the Oceanfront is a huge part of the sights and sounds of summer at the beach. But with all those extra bikes, it means more thefts according to Oceanfront resident Michael Moore.
He's had two stolen himself in the past few years during the summer months.
"It’s pretty frustrating," Moore says.
And he's not alone. In the last few weeks, Moore says he knows of 13 people who have had their bikes stolen near Rudee Inlet. His girlfriend's bike was also snatched two weeks ago.
"They stole her bike from the boardwalk, locked to the actual boardwalk railing, middle of the day and right in front of a vendor," Moore says.
Moore told police but also used social media to take action to get the bikes back. The Facebook page “Stolen in VB-A Community Watch Program” is catching on as a source for victims like Moore, who can post pictures and descriptions of their lost bikes.
Jordan Bovee had his old Schwinn stolen last month at the lifeguard shack, and posted a picture.
"I’m just glad that there are other people that have had the same problem because I know it sucks and they know it sucks, so we're just all watching out for each other I guess," Bovee says.
And it's worked .Bovee says a few people have had luck getting their bikes back through the Facebook page. Though it's a long shot, he's hoping he'll get lucky.
“Maybe somebody will see and be like, ‘Man that kid's not a bad guy, why did I steal his bike?’ And they'll give it back,” Bovee says. “That would be cool.”
