TALLAHASSEE, FL (#WTXLDigital) - When something is stolen the first thing you are suppose to do is call the authorities. But then what?
For one Tallahassee man, the answer was to turn to the Internet for help. Carson Segler's car and a mountain bike were stolen outside his home Saturday morning.
Segler says he had attached his bike to his car Friday night, planning to go on a ride Saturday morning. When he got up to go, the car and bike were gone.
As expected, Segler called police to report the stolen items and then asked himself what to do next.
That's when Segler went online. He remembered reading about a Virginia couple whose car was stolen and after a cry of help to the website Reddit, users worked together to help locate the car.
Segler posted not only to Reddit but to Facebook, Twitter, and Yik Yak. He even downloaded a plugin on his web browser that would notify him if anyone listed a bicycle similar to his on Craigslist. The plugin is called Popup Notifications for Craigslist and works by searching the website for your chosen search criteria every 5 minutes and alerting you if something new shows up.
And while no one on Reddit, Facebook, or Twitter had seen the car, Segler says there were Yik Yak users who saw it being driven and were able to provide some information about the person who stole it.
Lucky for Segler, all of the items taken were recovered about 12 hours after they were reported missing. He says police told him the man that took the car was pulled over for reckless driving in Cairo, Georgia. He was arrested and Segler is looking to press charges against the man.
Even though he didn't have the same success as the Virginia couple, Segler says turning to Reddit did give him one thing, peace of mind. Seglers explains that, "Reddit helped me calm down..."
Users not only gave him advice such as reminding him to call his insurance company, but told him that even if the car and its contents weren't returned, it was going to be okay.
Segler was able to pick up his car and beloved mountain bike on Monday.
