E-bike thefts surge in Charlotte County as deputies urge residents to lock up

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. —

E-bikes are growing in popularity across Southwest Florida, but so is the number of thieves targeting them, according to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies say they have already received 11 reports of bike thefts this year, and seven of those involved e-bikes. The numbers come just a little more than a month into the year.

Over the past six months, the sheriff’s office has documented 80 stolen bike reports, with more than half involving electric bicycles. Investigators say the thefts have happened throughout the county, ranging from private homes to outside retail stores.

“With e-bikes especially coming out of Christmas time, a lot of people get those as gifts,” said Chris Hall, public information officer for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office. “We want to make sure you get to keep what’s yours. Lock your stuff up.”

Local business owners are also feeling the impact.

Philipp Pfaeffli, owner of Pedelec Electric Bicycles in Punta Gorda, said one of his e-bikes was stolen from the store in December while customers were inside.

“There was only one person on duty,” Pfaeffli said. “Somebody walked in, pretended to look around, grabbed a bike and ran out with it. They threw it in the back of an SUV and took off.”

Following the theft, Pfaeffli installed additional security cameras and now encourages customers to invest in high-quality bike locks.

“Very good ones that cannot be cut with a cable cutter,” he said. “If you bind your bike to a stand or something that cannot be removed, you should be safe.”

Deputies say prevention is key and remind residents to secure bikes with strong locks, register serial numbers, and avoid leaving them unattended in public spaces.

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