Man arrested in theft of $8,200 bicycle from Greensburg shop

Several search warrants led Greensburg police to arrest a New York City man who they believe stole an $8,200 bicycle from a local shop, according to court papers.

Joziha J. Clemens, 21, was arraigned Friday after being extradited to Westmoreland County. He was being held on $75,000 bail at the county jail on charges of theft, receiving stolen property, criminal use of a communication facility and unlawful use of a computer.

The theft was reported in April after Flat Tire Co. bicycle shop received a notice that the credit card used to purchase a Santa Cruz Tallboy mountain bike two months earlier had been reported stolen, police said. The man who bought the bicycle by phone claimed to be from California and said his son would be traveling from New York City to pick up the purchase, according to court papers.

At the time, bicycles were in high demand as customers searched for safe outdoor recreation options during the coronavirus pandemic.

Police found that the phone number used by the caller was associated with Pinger, a smartphone app that gives users additional phone numbers to use for calls or texts. Authorities used records from Pinger and Amtrak to identify the suspect as Clemens, who paid an extra fee on Feb. 21, 2021 to take a bicycle on the train from Pittsburgh to New York City, according to court papers.

Additional search warrants showed Clemens booked a flight from Newark, N.J. to Pittsburgh on Feb. 20, 2021 and took an Uber from Pittsburgh International Airport to Greensburg and then to a hotel near the airport, police said.

The cell phone number police said they connected to Clemens used a cell tower in Greensburg on Feb. 20, 2021, according to court papers. Authorities got an arrest warrant for him in August.

Clemens did not have an attorney listed in online court records. A preliminary hearing is set for Feb. 24.