Batman is Real and He Lives in Seattle! Well, Kinda…

They come in the night. Slithering around garages, trees, stop signs and fences they look for their prey. They are bike thieves, and if you live in Seattle, there's a good chance you've had your totally awesome bike stolen. You call the cops, and they fill out a report, but the odds are they won't find your beloved two-wheeled friend. It's not that they don't care, it's that they need to focus on other crimes (you know, murder and all that). Who can you turn to? Who will help you find your bike? "Bike Repo Batman" is who!

In Seattle, there's a bike theft vigilante who is helping to recover stolen bikes in the city. He looks on Craigslist and other places to find people looking for their bikes. Then he looks for sketchy bike ads, poses as a potential buyer, then when if when he sees the bike he determines it's been stolen, he confronts the seller. He tells them to give him the bike so he car return it to the true owner, or he'll make sure the cops know what's up. Most of the time, he gets the bicycles back, and gets them to the owner!

How cool is that!? This guy doesn't ask for anything in return, but sometimes people hook him up with some change or the occasional beer. When Seattle magazines and papers looked to interview him, he agreed, but requested to remain anonymous so he can continue his work. Rock on, Bike Repo Batman! You are making the world a better place, one returned bike at a time!