Boy and his bike ‘reunite’
Jay’s spot of light after horror attack
A TOWNSVILLE teen has been reunited with his beloved bike after it was stolen from him in a sickening attack near his school this week.
Jay Flemett, 15, was struck by a silver Toyota Hilux ute, punched in the stomach and had his $6000 bike and possessions taken while he was riding on Grosvenor St about 12.45pm on Monday.
The teenager was dropping off his textbooks to nearby Pimlico State High School when a passenger jumped out of the ute and attacked him.
The incident, reported by The Bulletin on Wednesday, led to a police search and a passionate plea from family members on social media for help to find Jay’s bike.
Stepmother Nicole Flemett said a member of the public contacted her husband Ray on Thursday morning after they thought they’d seen the bike near an address in Garbutt.
Ms Flemett said her hus
band visited the area and noticed a man riding Jay’s bike along with others on scooters, and contacted police, who responded within five minutes.
She said the man was arrested a short time later, and after verifying with officers, the bike was handed over to Mr Flemett, who returned it to a “gobsmacked” Jay at their Hyde Park home.
“He’s ecstatic, there’s some damage to it, but it’s better than having no bike back,” Ms Flemett said.
“We’re very happy and it’s very positive there’s been some movement in the investigation.” Ms Flemett said the man arrested was not believed to have been involved in Monday’s incident.
She also provided an update on Facebook with a picture of Jay and his bike, saying they had been “reunited”.
Queensland Police confirmed the arrest of the man on Thursday morning, who was not believed to be involved in Monday’s incident.
Speaking to The Bulletin earlier this week, Jay said the attacker threatened to break his jaw and kill him during the attack. He escaped uninjured but was “devastated” to have had his bike taken, which he used daily to ride around town with mates and to get to work.
“I was pretty emotional yesterday (Monday) … it was one of the scariest moments of my life,” he said.
Police are continuing to investigate the incident and any witnesses or anyone with information can phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.