Washington cyclist Danny Lesh finds his stolen bike on Craigslist, steals it back

A vigilante cyclist is making headlines for pursing poetic justice after having his bike stolen.

Danny Lesh of Washington, D.C., lent his 14-year-old Cannondale hybrid to a friend. That friend "made the rookie mistake" of using a cable lock to secure it. Thanks to some determination and a pair of bolt cutters, a thief walked off with the expensive bike.

Soon after, Lesh found his bike for sale on Craigslist, NBC Washington reported. A prominent sticker confirmed it was Lesh's.

Lesh contacted the police who admitted they couldn't immediately respond to the situation. So Lesh took matters into his own hands, contacting the Craigslist seller and posing as a potential buyer.

"I knew I had to do it that day, or else I'd never see the bike again," he told NBC Washington.

When he met the seller, he asked to take the bike for a test ride. He never returned. The seller began calling Lesh, threatening to contact the police. The threats didn't faze Lesh one bit.

"I stole it. I stole my bike back from the thief," he told ABC News.

He then used Craigslist to warn buyers of the shady seller.

Washington police don't advise residents to recover stolen property without their assistance. Still, Lesh is happy to have recovered his bike on his own terms.

"I couldn't help feeling bad for all the other people he'd stolen bikes from," he said of the thief. "I'm glad that, hopefully, his business is interrupted a little bit."