DIANE SAWYER (ABC NEWS)(OC): It's hard to find a family in America that
has never lost a bicycle to a thief, especially these days since there's a tool that can cut through any lock in a matter of seconds. Well, tonight, we have new evidence that bike owners are fighting back. And ABC's
Sharyn Alfonsi takes us along with some ingenious citizen detectives.
JAKE GILLUM (HAD BIKE STOLEN): This is
a Fuji team bicycle. It originally cost
me 2 grand.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): When
Jake Gillum spotted his stolen bike being sold online, he decided to confront the seller.
JAKE GILLUM (HAD BIKE STOLEN): This is
Seattle.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): Friends in tow, cameras rolling.
JAKE GILLUM (HAD BIKE STOLEN): Now, you're under citizen's arrest. Stop right now. Stop.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): Police swooped in and made the arrest.
JAKE GILLUM (HAD BIKE STOLEN): I think
that it's a lesson for thieves that they need to be afraid of people like me.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): Others
have chased down bike thieves, too.
Watch these office workers tackle this guy. They got the bike back. But police warn being a vigilante is a bad idea. Being vigilant about locking up your bike,
a better one.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): Well, this
one, look, just one wheel.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): We hit
the street with Hal Ruzal, a legendary bike mechanic in New York City.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): Professional
thieves come dressed up looking like cyclists.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(OC): So what
are they wearing?
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): They have a
helmet on their head. They have a messenger bag, they're
well-dressed.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): And
they have a secret weapon.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): This is an angle grinder.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): This is
an expensive, top-rated steel bike lock.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): Done.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(OC): Oh, my
gosh, that was like two seconds.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): Exactly.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(OC): That
quick.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO):
Professional thieves swap stolen bikes with thieves in other cities so they can
easily sell them. Still Hal says there
are things you can do to protect yourself from an amateur thief.
HAL RUZAL (BIKE MECHANIC): Make sure the pole is securely in the ground. Because a lot of these poles, you can lift off, get the pole out of the way and then you take the
bike home with you. The rear wheel is
locked up. The front wheel is locked
up. This is an anti-theft thing. It's very difficult to take off the wheel.
SHARYN ALFONSI (ABC NEWS)(VO): But nothing is foolproof. Watch this.
Unable to break the lock of this bike, attached to a tree, these guys
just chop the tree down. Sharyn Alfonsi,
ABC News, New York.