BART cops did some real detective work last month, tracking down a prolific bike thief who was also a wanted man in Alameda County. 47-year-old Brett Major of San Francisco was booked on charges of burglary, theft, possession of burglary tools and that outstanding warrant in Alameda and now BART police are hoping to return the bikes he stole to their rightful owners.
As we've seen other agencies do in the past, BART PD released photos of the bicycles found at Major's home on their website so those of you who have been stripped of your favorite mode of transport (as this SFist editor sadly has) can hopefully be reunited again. If your ride was stolen from the Mission recently, but it isn't among those found by BART cops, remember that the Ingleside Station covers part of the neighborhood as well and is still looking for the rightful owners of 114 recovered bicycles. Also, cops in Oakland recently recovered another 100 bikes, which very well could have been stolen from BART stations.
On the other hand, if you do recognize your missing bike, you'll have to positively identify it with either a case number for the police report or the serial number on the frame. Also, they don't always publicize it, but police will usually give you the bike back if you can name some custom parts you put on it or even just show them your own picture of the bike.
