May 1 started out with a seemingly easy first call for Officer Christopher Wiacek of Ferndale, Michigan. He was directed to respond to the theft of a bicycle outside a Taco Bell. Upon investigation, he learned Tyreese Taylor’s bike was taken while he waited to start his shift at the fast-food restaurant. According to a report in the Royal Oak Tribune, the suspect approached Taylor, asked to use his phone and then proceeded to take off on the bicycle. 

“He was on my bike, so I ran right after him. I was getting a little emotional and stuff, but I tried not to let it bring me down,” Taylor told Fox 2 Detroit.

When Wiacek discovered Taylor had just lost his primary source of transportation, the officer promptly set out to rectify the situation. 

“You feel bad for anybody who gets their only mode of transportation stolen,” he told the news station. “In this particular instance, there was something I could do about it.”

According to public reporting, Wiacek reached out to friends at Motor City Pawn Brokers to inquire about bikes for sale. The business owner was inspired by his generosity and donated a bike. Wiacek then contacted American Cycle & Fitness-Trek Bicycle Store for a tune up, which also ended up being a charitable gesture. He personally pitched in for some bike lights and a sturdy lock before surprising Taylor with the gift.

“He made sure it was working good, and when I got off work, they brought it to me. I was delighted and didn’t expect it. I thought he was bluffing at first” about the new bike,” Taylor told the newspaper, adding that he’d been riding the city bus in the interim.

“I think it was a very cool thing to see the community come together,” noted Ferndale Officer Jillian Mahlmeister to the Royal Oak Tribune.