Tough 80-year-old chases after bike thief, jumps on moving getaway truck



BOTHELL, Wash. – An 80-year-old is injured after running after a thief stealing his bike outside his bank in Bothell.

Jerry Sebranke said when he saw the thief stealing his bike, he couldn’t just sit back and watch.

Sebranke often starts his day on a bicycle, and makes a stop at his bank in Bothell three to four times a week. However, last month his normal trip took a violent turn when he said he saw a man stealing his bike right outside the window.

“He did it so fast, but it was my bike so I ran out the door as fast as I could run and jumped on the back of the truck and that was the beginning of the episode of traumatizing my own self,” said Sebranke.

In the surveillance video released from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, you can see Sebranke run after the pickup truck and jump on the back bumper, with Heritage Bank employees watching in shock.

“It happens so quickly and when you see him jump onto that truck, your heart stops,” said Brenda Wallace, an assistant manager at the Heritage Bank.

Eventually, Sebranke couldn’t hold on much longer and the thief got away.

“When I bailed off the asphalt was going by awful fast, and I just let go until my feet hit the ground and I went shoo shoo, and I finally stopped rolling after a while,” said Sebranke.

Since then, the bank employees got together and replaced his bike, throwing him a celebration last week.

“This was just a small thing we could do to turn something bad into something good,” said Wallace.

However, Sebranke said he’s not done going after the thief, not to get his bike back but to help thieves who may need it more than him.

“If I catch them, I’m going to have a discussion about what their purpose in life is,” said Sebranke.

Sebranke said doctors found a blockage in his heart while being checked out following the incident, so he credits it for saving his life. As a pastor and a believer in divine intervention, he believes this all happened for a reason.

Snohomish County Sheriff's Office says anyone with information can call the anonymous tip line at 425-388-3845.