Margate Police Dept: Be Aware of Increase in Bike Thefts

The Margate Police Department has shared some helpful info in regards to the increase in bike thefts on Absecon Island.

We’ve noted the spike in social media posts about bicycles being stolen. We’re talking Atlantic City, Ventnor, Margate and Longport too.


I’ve seen several older men riding bikes toward AC on Atlantic Ave, riding one while holding another.

Lea Weinstein
Bike Safety

Margate PD: Like all shore towns in the area, we have been experiencing a rash of bike thefts. Many of the bikes are left unlocked, but others have been stolen while locked using a cable lock.

The best locks to deter these types of thefts are U-Locks. Those locks are hard steel and not easily defeated.

There are many brands available and most come with a mount so they can be easily attached to the bike.

Margate PD

Margate PD: U-Locks aren’t perfect, but they can deter theft.

Many cable locks we see are easily cut with small pliers or, in the case of older locks, able to be pried apart with not much effort.

Margate PD encourages everybody to keep photos of their bikes. Have the bike serial number written down. If your bike is stolen, and local police have the serial number, they can enter it into a database that other departments can check against. Without that information, there isn’t much that Margate PD can do to specifically identify one bike from another.

Watch video: How to properly lock a bike.

The Margate City Police Department also has a bike registration program.

They record information about your bike and assign it a number within their records. Bring your bike to the PD. An available officer can assist in completing the paperwork.

When I lived in Margate I engraved my bike with my name on every part. It got stolen. A police officer knocked on my door and gave my bike back. He found it abandoned.

Tony Patroni

Margate PD is actively investigating the rash of thefts. Margate PD, working with other departments, have identified several suspects and are working to complete those investigations and make arrests.

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