SEPTA bus driver thwarts police patrol bike thief in Center City

A SEPTA bus driver last night thwarted a would-be thief who allegedly stole bicycles from two on-duty police officers in Center City.

Police said the officers secured their bikes to a pole on the 100 block of South 17th Street near Sansom Street around 8:15 p.m. and left to conduct a security check.

A SEPTA Route 16 bus driver saw a man place two police bicycles on the front rack of the bus about 15 minutes later as the vehicle stopped at Broad Street and South Penn Square near City Hall, according to investigators.

The man boarded the bus, but when the driver asked him where the vehicles came from, he removed them from the rack and headed to the nearby subway entrance.

Authorities said the driver notified SEPTA police, who found the bikes on the street and the saddle bags that had been attached to them in the station’s stairwell.

The suspect is described as a thin black male between the ages of 45 and 47. He was last seen wearing a black Kangol cap, a black coat, black pants and a white shirt.

No arrests have yet been made. Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or to submit an anonymous tip by dialing 215-686-TIPS (8477), texting PPD TIP (773847), emailing tips@phillypolice.com or by filling out this online form.