A bunch of bicycle thieves rode away with 35 brand new Schwinns used for free lessons at Flushing Meadows Corona Park, officials said yesterday.
The bikes were swiped on July 5 — the first day of the program run by Bike New York.
“It is horrible. They have deprived hundreds of kids of having the chance to learn how to ride and ride safely,” said Ken Podziba, CEO of the nonprofit.
Podziba said he’s been forced to cancel the program at the Queens park because the bikes can’t be replaced before the end of summer, depriving each week some 300 hundred kids from Y day camps, the Police Athletic League and the Boys and Girls clubs.
Podziba said his group purchased the shiny Schwinns at cost using funds from their annual Five Boro Bike Tour every May.
In addition, the container that housed the equipment was located near the World’s Fair Unisphere in an area where there are no surveillance cameras.
“To target kids and bikes is pretty low. Our parks need to be safe in order to support this type of positive programming. The city needs to immediately address the amount of crime occurring on parkland,” said Geoffrey Croft, president of NYC Park Advocates.
Police are still looking for the pedal pushing perpetrators.
“Shame on whoever took them. They took away the pleasure of these little kids. Return them,” said an outraged Marie Paul, 42, who was with her friend’s two little boys and would have liked to have taken advantage of a two-hour bike and safety session.
Michelle Bravo, 21, who was strolling with her six-year-old nephew, said “It sucks that someone stole the bikes. It’s terrible. We would have definitely ridden the three bikes today.”
Passerby Reina Garcia, added. “It’s really awful. The bikes were for the kids. Who would do this,” she asked.
A city Parks Dept. spokesperson said, “The theft of the 35 bicycles from the Bike New York Program is a complete outrage.
“We are working with NYPD to track down and arrest the heartless thieves and we will work with Bike New York to try to get the bikes replaced.”
Additional reporting by Lorena Mongelli