VIDEO: Young boy’s stolen bike brings out community spirit

A negative incident has turned into a positive story for one young boy living in the Sault.

Two weeks ago, 9-year-old Jorian Becker-Lemay was at Canadian Tire with his mom Jean when his bike was stolen right in front of him.

Shocked by the swipe, Jorian tried chasing after the man across Great Northern Road, but the culprit got away.

Sault resident Danny Stark was driving home when he saw the mother and son frantically trying to go after the thief in an attempt to recover the bike, so he decided to step in.

The mother hopped into Stark’s truck, and they drove around the central part of the city in search of the thief – but to no avail.

“When you see someone in need, you stop – that’s really all that went through my head,” Stark says. “I didn’t know exactly what was going on at the time, I just saw a mother in distress and wanted to help.”

The police soon responded but the bike was never recovered.

“It affected me to see a kid get his bike stolen,” Stark says. “The mom told me he saved up money to buy the bike himself and just got it this summer. To have it stolen right from your arms – I knew we had to do something here.”

Stark messaged his colleague Tony Boniferro and several others to help set up a fundraiser, and they ended up raising over $400 in community donations to go towards a new bike for Jorian.

Ready to purchase a new bike, the donors headed to Sport Chek.

When they arrived, they met store manager Joe Carbone who said he had heard about the incident, and that the store would like to donate Jorian a free bike.

“They donated one of the best bikes they had,” Stark says. “They even offered to give him a free tune-up when he needs one.”

Family, friends, and donors came together at Becker-Lemay’s home on Monday to surprise him with the brand-new bike, leaving Jorian in tears.

The donation money went towards gifts cards for Sport Chek and Cineplex, which were also presented to Jorian.

“I am super thankful for everything Dan, Tony, and the other donors did to make the situation into a positive one,” his mom says. “The Sault definitely needs to hear the positive stories.”