CLEVELAND — The area of Gehring Avenue and West 25th Street is the last place Nakia Randleman said he saw his motorcycle before he discovered it had been stolen last Tuesday.
“Having it taken away from me is the worst feeling,” said Randleman.
Randleman told us he only wants his bike to be returned to him.
But unfortunately, the days are growing, and Nakia said he’s still without the one thing that gave him hope during a dark time.
“When I took medical leave, it was because I was in a coma and when I woke up, I couldn’t walk for a while. And they asked me, 'What do you want to do when you get out of here?' I was in there for two weeks. I was like, ‘I don’t know. I just want to go be comfortable. I want to be able to ride my bike,’ Randleman said.
The joy Randleman said he once felt with his motorcycle was robbed when he left his job as a caterer at Truss Event Venue on West 25th Street last Tuesday afternoon and found his ride had been stolen.
“At first, I was so like shocked that I thought like shocked that I thought it could’ve been a like a joke,” said Randleman.
Nakia later reported his stolen 2022 Honda Navi mini motorcycle to Cleveland Police. In the report, he told officers his bike had been stolen without keys, and there weren’t any cameras in the lot or evidence left behind.
The report also indicated Randleman had an air tag tracker locked inside the motorcycle compartment and tracked its location on his phone to West 48th Street and Clark Avenue.
Police responded, but the report said officers had no luck finding Nakia’s motorcycle.
“It sucks. Things like this happen and there’s nothing you can even do,” said Randleman.
This act of crime he's dealing with comes more than a week after four men were indicted for their involvement in a shooting that took place outside of St. Malachi Parish in Ohio City back in July.
RELATED: Four men indicted in shooting outside St. Malachi Parish in Cleveland
Councilman Kerry McCormack told City Council in a statement that he is working with police and administration to ensure his ward is safe.
In the meantime, Randleman is asking for the community’s help to find his green mini motorcycle with Ohio license plate number NNAVI.
“My bike just means a lot to me. When I get off work, that’s what I do,” said Randleman. “I can throw $2 in my gas tank, and I can go all around and enjoy the outdoors, and right now I can’t do that.”
As the investigation continues, a GoFundMe has been set up for Nakia.
