When John Farley’s bicycle was stolen on a Friday afternoon from in front of his house in North Bergen, where it was chained to a fence, the thief not only took Farley’s recreation, but his sole means of transportation. Living on government disability in Section 8 low income housing, Farley had built the bike himself out of discarded parts, and used it daily.
Upon hearing of his plight, North Bergen Health Department employee Kim Nicoliello posted a message on Facebook seeking help from anyone with a unused bike to offer the victim.
Instead, North Bergen Police Officer Eric Crafton contacted her with a better idea: Why not start a gofundme.com page to raise money for a new bike?
Almost immediately the owner of James Vincent Bicycles on Bergenline Avenue stepped in to offer a bike at cost. By Monday the neighbors and townspeople had contributed enough for a replacement, and by Wednesday Farley was the owner of new wheels.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Farley. “People are so great. I’ve been living in this neighborhood about four or five years. I wish I had enough thank you cards for everybody.”
‘Two Shoes,’ the bicycle man
A former Union City resident, Farley moved to North Bergen when he was 18, about 40 years ago. He currently lives on 74th Street between Park and Broadway. Crafton had never spoken to him before the theft, but knew Farley by reputation. Everybody in the neighborhood does.
“I didn’t know him personally but I knew about him from stories I heard,” said Crafton. “I always saw him fixing bikes and was curious what he was doing. Neighbors would tell me anytime a neighborhood kid has a broken bike, he fixes it for free. He was like the unofficial bike repair shop for whole area.”
“My mother taught me when I was little,” said Farley about his bicycle-mending skills. In addition to fixing bikes, he builds new ones from parts he finds and gives them away to local kids. “A lot of people throw them out and there’s nothing wrong with them. I find them the garbage and repair them and give them to people.”
“They took the time to raise money and show compassion to help a man who had needs.” –Nicholas Sacco
____________
“I have to buy two pairs,” said Farley. “At the bicentennial I bought them for the red, white, and blue. I used to wear two different shoelaces but they don’t make them anymore. Some people call me ‘Two Shoes.’ And I always wear a denim vest.”
Farley’s playfully eccentric taste extends to his bikes. “I had one with a Pee Wee Herman head on it and I had one with a little duck that squeaked,” he said.
The one that was stolen had an Alf head.
The community pitches in
Police Officer Eric Crafton, 31, has lived in North Bergen his whole life. He has been on the force since late 2012.
When he spotted Nicoliello’s Facebook post about her neighbor, it struck a chord. “I would say the help that he does for the community,” said Crafton about the reason he decided to strike up a fund for Farley. “His good hearted nature. He’s not currently working; he’s on government assistance, and had no other way of getting another bike. Whoever stole it took a pair of bolt cutters and cut the lock. That was one of the reasons I chose to do this. [Farley] wasn’t just a victim who left his stuff unattended. He took every measure to secure it.”
The gofundme page went online the same day the bike was stolen. “As soon as I put it up, between me and Kim putting this all over social networking, we almost had 100 percent funding within 24 hours,” said Crafton.
At the same time he received a private message from James Vincent Bicycles on 85th Street. “The owner there messaged me saying he wanted to help and was willing to sell me a bike at cost,” said Crafton. “With a new lock free of charge, and whatever else he needed.”
Less than a week after the theft, Crafton and Nicoliello escorted Farley to James Vincent Bicycles, where he almost reluctantly picked out a new bike.
“I told them I don’t need no fancy bike. I build bikes,” said Farley. “I picked this bike, it’s called a Specialized. It’s comfortable. It’s lightweight because I have to carry it in and out of the house now. I don’t lock it outside.”
“The owner gave him a heavy duty lock that came with an insurance policy to replace the bike if it’s stolen while using that lock,” said Crafton. “And he installed a rack on the back that acts like a trunk.”
The retail cost of the bike and extras was about $700. The store owner sold it to Crafton for less than half that.
“The bike shop has always been very generous to the town,” said Sacco. “Everybody was wonderful.”
Back on the street
“I’m a ‘56 Chevy and there ain’t no parts,” joked Farley, who was born in 1956. “I got a bad hip, but I ride the bike every day. I’ll go all the way to 50something street for a sale.”
And now he’s back, thanks to the generosity of friends and neighbors.
“It was great on the part of Health Department employee Kim Nicoliello and Police Officer Crafton,” said Sacco. “They took the time to raise money and show compassion to help a man who had needs. This is a wonderful example of community policing.”
An additional $300 that was raised in the gofundme account was donated in the form of gift cards to the North Bergen Emergency Relief Fund.
Art Schwartz may be reached at arts@hudsonreporter.com.