Tulsa Boy Fighting To Get Back His Stolen Bike

This is the time of year when thieves are working overtime. A young Tulsa boy learned that lesson the hard way.

Eleven-year-old Matt said the bike he got for his birthday was stolen over the Thanksgiving weekend and he's hoping a news story might help him get it back.

Matt is a boy who loves to play outdoors, but his only option for going mobile now is his scooter.

He'd picked out the exact bike he wanted for his birthday in June, a Mongoose 21-speed mountain bike, and begged his parents for it until he got it. He rode that bike all over the neighborhood.

What did he love so much about that particular bike? "Probably how fast it could go and it'd go up hills," Matt said.

His mom said he washed it after he rode it, kept it inside when it rained, and one time, when they were at the Russell Stover store at Utica Square, Matt kept checking on his bike so often, the store manager offered to let him bring it inside.

Matt kept it in his backyard, but it wasn't there when he got home from visiting family after Thanksgiving.

"Kinda sad, I wasn't expecting that to happen," Matt said.

Unfortunately, Matt is not alone. Tulsa has around 14,000 larcenies each year and hundreds of those stolen items are bicycles.

"He's really sad. He really loves his bike. He was planning to ride it in the snow, just to test it," his mom, Sylvia, said.

Police say it's important to keep all your belongings out of sight and locked away, no matter where you live. Open garage doors are open invitations to thieves to help themselves.

And, while Matt's parents will most likely replace his bike for Christmas, what they can't replace is that part of his childhood innocence that's now gone.

"When he told me he just can't believe someone will do that--just for a little kid to think, from now on, you cannot trust someone," Sylvia said.

If the loss is relatively small and there's no description of a suspect, Tulsa police officers won't come out, but citizens need to fill out an online report, in case the item is recovered--that way, you can get it back.

Don't assume, because it's on your property or inside your car, it's safe. Police say, if it's visible, thieves will take it.