12-year-old boy's hard earned bike stolen in East Bremerton



EAST BREMERTON, Wash. -- 12-year-old Jaden Young worked hard all of last summer mowing yards and doing chores in his East Bremerton neighborhood to earn enough money to buy a bicycle so he could ride with his friends. Last week, somebody stole the bike out of his yard. It is a BMX Rainbow colored Fantasky bike with custom 24-inch wheels that cost him almost $400.

"I have trouble seeing things so I figured if I lost it, left it over at a friend's house, I could just go and know that it's mine and not many people have them," said Jaden. Before his bike was stolen, he was having a great summer and celebrating his recent win at the Roller Sports National Championships.



Now, he can't go riding with his friends and has to walk everywhere.

"He just stays inside a lot more. It put his trust in people really different cause he worked hard. It's a generally safe community and his bike was taken from his front porch in the middle of the daytime which thieves are getting brazen and to me, it's just not acceptable," said his mom, Katherine Young. She says they have notified pawn shops and other stores to be on the lookout. The BMX has duct tape all over the seat and Jaden can identify it from the dings and scratches on it. They have already gone to look at two similar bikes that were found but neither was his.

Bremerton Police say there were 17 bikes reported stolen last year and they are on track for the same number this year. They encourage everyone to always use a secure bike lock.

If you spot Jaden's bike, please call Bremerton Police. On a side note, I found a BMX Kent Fantasy bike to replace the one he had stolen and I was going to order it but it only has 20 inch wheels. It doesn't have the 24 inch wheels he had on his bike. His mom says those were custom wheels she ordered that are not available now. I am still planning to do some research though and am open to suggestions from those who know more about bikes than I do. Hopefully, somebody will see the story help find his bike quickly.