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Police see increase in crimes connected with JUMP bikes


JUMP bikes causing major problems in Providence (WJAR)
JUMP bikes causing major problems in Providence (WJAR)
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The victim of an assault that stemmed from a pack of teenagers on bicycles is speaking out, warning others to be on the lookout when they’re in the City of Providence.

On Thursday, Providence police said they responded to two separate incidents in the city where people were assaulted from teens on JUMP bikes and other pedal bikes.

Both of the assaults happened along South Water Street.

An employee of a nearby business didn’t want to go on camera, but told NBC 10 she was confronted when heading into a parking lot.

“I got a little worried I thought I was going to hit one, but I stopped and then all the sudden there was about 10 to 15 kids that came in on wheelies, on all types of bikes, JUMP bikes, pedal bikes, mountain bikes.”

The employee said she noticed the juveniles had been hitting other car windows and attempting to smash mirrors.

After putting her car in park she tried to get out.

“When that happened another kid passed by me, slammed the door in on me, clipped me sandwiched me between my door gashing my ear and bruising the other side.”

Police said after that encounter, another man was assaulted on the same street after telling the kids on bikes to get out of the road.

“I was told that one of the kids stopped the bike and said what’re you going to do about it?” said the victim. “The kid whistled and five other kids showed up next thing you know they came over and sucker punched him in the face.”

The incidents were separate from one another.

Both victims were looked at by EMS. The second victim lost a tooth.

Providence Police said they’ve arrested six people pertaining to crimes committed on pedals including a breaking and entering case. Police noted it’s difficult because there’s so many juveniles in a pack and anyone can rent a JUMP bike.

Another problem police have recently faced is the rigging of the JUMP bike’s payment system.

The JUMP bikes are rented through an application that unlocks them but people have learned to rig it.

Rigging the bikes allows the pedals to move but the motor function is cut off along with the GPS.

In other words, it’s a way to ride them free of charge and roam wherever without being tracked and documented.

“Some of them are using them and then they act like one of those mob mentalities,” said the victim. “They think like, ‘Oh they can’t take us all down, so like if I join in you can’t pinpoint me.”

Providence police said that is the case.

They have been seeing large groups causing the problems, noting it’s not only people riding JUMP bikes, but other pedaling forms of transportation.

Providence police said they’ve also seen an increase of JUMP bikes being destroyed and thrown in random locations.

Normally, a company that’s been hired by Uber, the parent company of JUMP bike, has crews go out and scoop up the bikes that have been abandoned and put them in a convenient location to be re-rented.

However, for the JUMP bikes that have been rigged the GPS doesn’t work.

Providence police said they have been using their own resources to go out and pick up the bikes that have been thrown in rivers, abandoned at parks, on the side of highways etc.

Providence Police Chief Col. Hugh Clements told NBC 10 something needs to be done. He has been in communication with Uber and said he is not trying to drive the bikes out of the city but things are getting out of control.

Uber issued NBC 10 News a statement that said in part, “These reports are concerning and something we take very seriously. We are supporting the active law enforcement investigations.”

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