A motorcycle that belonged to a valley veteran with terminal cancer was stolen Monday morning. But there is a happy ending to this story.
The sound of a revving engine is sweet to Cyrus Drew. He thought he'd never hear it again.
"I feel like I won the lottery!"
Drew, a 15-year Special Services Army veteran, has terminal cancer. He's been building this bike for 2 years, and this motorcycle is not only how he gets to the hospital and to work, but a labor of love.
"I taught myself to do leather tooling just so I could do the seat. The shift knob is a door handle from the 19th century, Victorian door handle I got from Australia."
Sunday night, he forgot to lock the bike up, and Monday morning it was gone.
"It was on my bucket list. I always wanted a Harley, a custom bobber Harley, and it was done… I had done everything exactly how I envisioned it, how I wanted it," says Drew.
Late Monday afternoon his girlfriend went into an auto parts store to ask if they'd seen the bike.
"As she was walking out a guy said, hey I know where that bike's at," says Drew.
They found the bike in the garage of a vacant home for sale on 34th Avenue and Redfield, about half a mile from where it was taken.
"They took my ignition out, put another ignition in it, and just kind of hotwired it, and I think they just couldn't figure out how to get it started. There's no starter in it, you have to kickstart it," says Drew.
Drew has 'bad luck' tattooed on his knuckles -- but despite today's outcome, he won't be getting that removed any time soon.
"The whole point of getting it done was to try to change my luck and hopefully it helped."
Police fingerprinted the bike and have interviewed the man who told them where it was.
Drew says it doesn't matter if they make an arrest, he's just thrilled to have the bike back and he plans on keeping it locked up.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 1:00 PM EDT2013-05-22 17:00:29 GMT
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police.
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police. Andrea Rebello's family followed the pastor Wednesday as he led her white cloth-draped coffin to the altar at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:55 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:55:01 GMT
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:27 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:27:26 GMT
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:10:42 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police. The incident Monday night involved two men, who police say, had met at the Bowery Mission and went out drinking together in the East Village. Roman Gornell, 39, was arrested on Wednesday.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race. A poll released Wednesday placed Weiner in second place behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a Democratic primary.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:10:21 GMT
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:42 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:42:24 GMT
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:51 PM EDT2013-05-22 01:51:10 GMT
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
