Man tracks down his stolen $1.5k bicycle -- but suspected thief asks for seized bike back
Teo Yan Ting
TNP
August 5, 2025
A man who lost his $1,500 bicycle went into full "Taken" mode, tracking it down himself before calling the police to break the chain that bound it to another bicycle.
"Don't ever steal from me again. I'll find you next time. Lucky this time you got away," said a man going by the name Jarren in a TikTok video posted on July 31.
In the clip, he recounts how he went looking for his missing bicycle and eventually found it locked to another bike under an MRT station, apparently belonging to the alleged thief.
Jarren adds that he called the police, who arrived at the scene and cut the lock to release his bicycle. They also took the second bike to the police station for further investigation.
"It was my first time calling the police," adds Jarren, admitting that the bike had been left unlocked when it was taken. In a follow-up video, he shows off a new lock he has purchased, presumably to avoid a repeat incident.
'One in a million' recovery
The video quickly went viral, drawing over 900,000 likes and hundreds of comments from stunned netizens, many of whom were amazed that he had managed to recover his bike on his own.
"Bro really went on a hunt and actually found his bike. Respect," one user wrote.
Others were baffled by the audacity of the alleged thief. "That's wild. I would've camped there and waited for him to show up," a commentor said.
Some pointed out that bicycles in Singapore can be registered with serial numbers or through online registries, which may have helped the police verify the rightful owner.
Suspected thief reaches out
But the story does not end there.
In the comments section, users claiming to know the alleged thief left remarks like "that one my friend's bike" and "the bike beside your bike is my friend's".
In subsequent posts, Jarren reveals that he received a message request from someone claiming to be the person who chained the two bicycles together. The person claims they mistakenly thought the mountain bike was their friend's and had locked it up with their own.
"Can we meet up? I can bring my friend and he will apologise," the message reads. "I really want my bike back please and I need the lock and everything back."
In a separate message, another person asks what happened to the second bike, saying it belonged to their friend.
"The other bike is with the police now," says Jarren in the clip. "If you want the bike back, you can go to the police."
The New Paper has contacted Jarren as well as the Singapore Police Force to verify details of the incident.
Jarren had not responded to queries by press time.
