DENVER — Problem Solvers shared bike owner Darrel Bauer’s story on Sunday after his two bikes were snatched in a smash and grab all caught on camera. It took only days for two men to walk through his door with a surprise he’s so grateful for.
“When they came in with it, I was just speechless,” Bauer said.
Words can’t describe the gratitude Bauer’s feeling. The bike he spent a year building by hand is back.
“It makes you realize for every bad person like that there’s probably 20 good people,” he said.
Bauer doesn’t have the name of two good Samaritans, but he calls them his heroes.
“I offered them a reward they said, ‘no we’re just happy to see you get your bike back.’”
Bauer says one of the guys is a city employee who keeps the civic center park clean. The other told him he was homeless.
“They said they saw the story on tv and we’re just kind of feeling for me.”
The good Samaritans were at the Civic Center Park Thursday when they recognized one of Bauer’s stolen bikes from the Fox 31 Problem Solvers story. They told Bauer people were trying to sell the bike.
“They do what’s called a chop shop where they find a bike and they’ll take the handlebars off of it and do whatever they need with it,” Bauer said.
The bicycle vigilantes didn’t share what they went through to get the bike back, but walked into Bauer’s shop Ajax Custom Plating with the bike and smiles on their faces.
Even though there was a $500 reward for their deed, neither man wanted it.
“They were just so glad to do a good deed and get me back my bike,” Bauer said. “When guys turn around and do something like that then you regain your faith in people.”
Bauer still has a second $500 reward offer for anyone who can bring back his second stolen bike. It is a classic Schwinn original bike from the 1970s. The bike is red with “Apple Krate” along the chain.
— Nicole Fierro wrote this report