HOUSTON – "I just walked out and it was gone,” said Samantha Spears of her bike.
She said a thief stole her baby-blue bike between Saturday morning and Sunday. She said it was double-locked to a concrete pillar inside her supposedly secure apartment complex parking lot in Midtown.
She told KPRC 2, "I just couldn't believe someone actually stole my bike from the second floor in my parking space."
The Harris County Precinct One Constable said at least 30 other bikes were stolen from that same apartment complex in the 2300 block of Bagby.
"What we're finding is people are actually contacting their apartment security officer and letting them know that the thefts have happened. But it's not getting translated to law enforcement where we've opened up enough of the cases to tie them all together," Constable Alan Rosen said.
Rosen said the series of thefts could include a bike theft KPRC reported in EaDo, east of downtown Houston, on Sept. 11.
READ: Neighbors believe same man is responsible for rash of bike thefts in EaDo
Images captured from a surveillance camera showed a thief stroll into Jeff Jacobson’s garage and ride away with an $800 Specialized road bike.
"It feels violating because what if my wife was at home by herself? He could've just gone inside, right?" Jacobson said.
Jacobson posted the photos on social media. Others reported their own bike thefts and even posted photos of a possible suspect.
Another victim posted video of the theft of his cruiser. Spears said she just wanted the thefts to stop.
"Why do people steal bikes? What do they do with these bikes?" she asked.
Rosen asked bike theft victims to report the crimes to 713-755-5200. He said his deputies were working to identify the man seen in the social media posts.
Here are surveillance photos of that man: