Bed-Stuy residents say Citi Bikes vandalized with 'brown, really thick' sticky substance

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Bed-Stuy residents say that Citi Bikes in the dock at the corner of Howard Avenue and Chauncey Street have been the targets of vandalism multiple times for the last month or so. While some say that the QR Codes used to rent the bikes have been colored over in Sharpie, others, including Caroline Serrano, have seen what they describe as something sticky and gooey that "was like brown, really thick." Serrano says she has seen the substance on handlebars and seats of bikes there at least twice, saying she was lucky enough to notice it before touching it, since "you would be in trouble if you got that on your clothes, like, it would not be fun." Neighbors say there has been more than one instance of a rider who was not as lucky, and had to run into the bodega next to the rack to get a paper towel, or other way to clean their hand The big question for a lot of people, is why somebody would be doing this. "Sabotage?" wondered Serrano. "I don't know, like somebody's actually trying to I don't know, ruin the bikes?" Jesse Hepworth, another frequent rider, says he has not personally seen the substance on bikes, he was shocked to learn that it could happen, telling News 12 "I wish they would. Don't tell me I'm stuck to the bike. I got places to go, I got stuff to do. It's too hot to be messing around." While none of the bikes at the dock seemed to have anything on them or any signs of damage when News 12's cameras were there, riders tell us that they have seen enough to not take anything for granted. "I definitely have to check for everything, like, there's surprises all the time," said Serrano, Hepworth also plans to be proactive, saying "I'm bringing out my paper towel, and I'm touching the seat, and I'm touching the handlebars with that, if it sticks, I'm getting another bike." The riders News 12 spoke to say they reported the issue by either hitting the "broken bike" button on the dock, or by e-mailing Citi Bike, which said it would look into it. News 12 also reached out to Citi Bike, and has not heard back yet. "