Police report bike theft outbreak in Newport Beach

A rash of bicycle thefts in town has caught the attention of the Newport Beach Police Department, causing it to remind bike owners to be careful.

The department said in a Facebook post this week that 27 bike thefts had occurred in August.

Seven of those bikes were stolen from open or unsecured garages, police said.

The 27 incidents were relatively spread out around the city, according to Jennifer Manzella, public information officer for the Police Department.

“We don’t see a specific concentration in any one area of the city,” she said. “Bikes were stolen from open garages, unsecured bikes were taken and others were locked up but the locks were cut.”

Manzella said the department did not have statistics to compare the August number with previous months.

To help prevent thefts, police encourage residents to leave their bikes where they’re easily visible and secure the bikes onto fixed objects and in a locked garage or storage area.

As an extra precaution, Newport Beach residents can license their bikes at the Police Department or any city fire station, providing a record of the bike with local authorities. The cost is $2.

Thefts can be reported to police at (949) 644-3717 or nbpd.org.