A Washington, D.C. family was the unforunate target of a bicycle theft today, when the home’s owner left a door ajar for a home repairman to enter, and later discovered that a burglar had gone onto the property and taken their Xtracycle cargo bicycle, which hadn’t been properly locked up.

News of the theft spread quickly on social media sites like Facebook, and soon, multiple reports of sightings of the stolen Xtracycle were coming in from around the area.

The stolen Xtracycle sighted in Washington’s NoMa neighborhood on Tuesday

Finally, a gentleman by the name of Andrew spotted the bike and kept following it until law enforcement arrived. By about 4PM, the stolen cargo bike had been recovered, all thanks to vigilant citizens spreading information via social media and working with Washington, D.C. local law enforcement, the MPD.

It’s great news that the bike was recovered, however, most victims of bicycle theft aren’t so lucky. As a reminder, please lock up your bike to a stationary object with a steel U-lock, and for even better protection, keep your bike in a locked area of your home.

The most common location that bikes are stolen from is actually the home garage, so special care must be taken to ensure that your garage is always closed and locked.