By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UNION SQUARE — Police hope three arrests made last week will put the brakes on a spike in bike thefts around Union Square.
A total of 12 bikes were swiped in the past month in the 13th Precinct, which stretches from Union Square to lower Midtown, a higher number than usual, a police source told DNAinfo. Three people have been arrested over the past week in connection to bicycle crime, the source added.
So far, two of those individuals have been charged.
Jose Jimenez, 31, was charged with petit larceny after being caught trying to steal a bike wheel at the corner of W. 26th St. and Seventh Ave. at 1 p.m. on Oct. 13, police said.
Rivera Candido, 45, was observed a day later with a cut bike chain and a bicycle stolen from 225 Park Ave. South, and has been charged with criminal possession of stolen property and petit larceny, police said.
"Now we have to wait and see. If [the number of thefts] goes down, we got the guys," the source said.
A total of 2,151 bikes have been reported stolen citywide so far this year as of September, up from 2,106 last year, police said.
The problem has been especially bad in front of Paragon Sporting Goods Company on Broadway between E. 18th and E. 19th streets, said Dawson Smith of NYC Mountain Bikers, who alerted Midtown's Community Board 5 to the problem Thursday evening.
He said several of his members have had their bikes stolen from the stretch.
Shaun Fowler, who supervises the large cycling department at Paragon, described Union Square as the "bike theft capital of the city."
While police admit bike thefts have been an ongoing issue in the area, Fowler said the problem has gotten worse.
He's said he's seen thieves, who "go around in packs" of two and three, take everything from seats and seat posts to wheels and brake calipers. They strike night and day.
Security guards at the store, he said, have had to chase them away.
Ryan Regan, 18, another Paragon employee, said he started noticing an increase about three weeks ago.
He warned those in the area not to leave their bikes out overnight.
"It's bound to be taken if you're not looking," Regan said.
But Bob Bates, 23, who works is SoHo and sometimes locks his bike along the stretch, said he's not surprised by the thefts.
"Not everyone knows how to lock your bike completely and [thieves] take advantage of that," he said.
Police said that plain clothed officers are now paying special attention to bikes in the precinct.
The department advised all bike owners to use high-quality locks and avoid leaving bikes unattended for days at a time.
