Thanks to Google Earth, over 200 stolen bikes have been found

Thanks to satellite images on Google Earth, a collection of over 200 bikes, presumed to be stolen, were spotted on a property in Oxford, England. And it’s thanks to a handful of people who spy on Google’s satellite images for fun that the man who was hoarding the bikes was sent to jail for stealing them.

During his stay at the home, a 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and possessing criminal property. The hundreds of bikes are believed to have been stolen from around the area, but even his neighbors are not aware of the history of the thefts.

Thames Valley Police, who handled the case, has not provided any further details about the man. But people on the internet want to know. The sight of hundreds of bikes piled up in a backyard is just too strange for many people to ignore.

“What was he doing with so many bikes?“ asked one netizen. “Cracks me up no one spotted it sooner. Surely you’d think it suspicious to have a garden overflowing with bikes?” Wrote another social media user.

The bikes had reportedly been there for years, but the lack of evidence before the release of satellite images prevented the criminal case from moving forward. In recent years, many crimes have been solved thanks to internet sleuths and people who visit Google Earth to look for oddities.