South Philly Review

Marc Ferguson Jr. hardly ever gave his wheels a break. Nearly every day, the 8-year-old from the 2400 block of South Ninth Street could be seen cycling around the neighborhood on his DMX-style black Huffy.

But he never thought he would lose his ride. Nearly three weeks ago, the bike, which was outside, disappeared when Marc Jr. briefly went into his house.

"We looked around the neighborhood. Nobody was playing a joke, hopped on it or anything. We realized it was officially stolen," father Marc Sr. said of the July 10 theft.

Buying another was out of the question; there were more pressing family matters at hand. Three days prior, Marc Sr., 34, had lost his job as a short-order cook, a position he'd held for the last six months. When the news of the missing bike reached wife Michelle, the timing - with the loss of Marc Sr.'s job in the mix - was anything but perfect. She'd just had blood work done and there was the possibility the 33-year-old homemaker and mother of three had multiple sclerosis.

"When I came home and found out his bike was gone, I was angry," Michelle said. "I was so angry that somebody would take his bike."

Although the parents consoled their son with the prospect of buying another set of wheels in the near future, Marc Sr. knew it would be difficult to keep that promise. "Unfortunately, with finances, it was going to take a few weeks," he said.

Believing it was worth a try, Marc Sr. posted a brief description of the stolen bicycle on Craigslist.org, a Web site that allows users to upload community-based listings. The next evening, while checking e-mails, a message popped up that offered a glimmer of hope.

At first, Marc Sr. thought someone in the community had spotted his son's bike. Instead, the sender, Michael Miraglia, owner of Mike's Bikes at 1901 S. 13th St., offered to donate a used cycle to the boy.

"It blew me away," Marc Sr. said of Miraglia's gesture. "He knew nothing about my situation. It was just a random act of kindness."

When Marc Jr. woke to the surprise the next day, his eyes lit up. "I was happy and thankful," he said.

On at least two days of the week, the shop owner finds used bikes left on the six-bicycle rack outside his store.

"I kind of felt that this was a good occasion to give back," Miraglia, who managed the shop for several years before purchasing it in 2004, said. "Bicycles were taken off me as a child."

OPERATING AT THE same location for 13 years, Mike's Bikes frequently gives cycles to local schools and charities. The bike for Marc Jr. was just another way to give back to the community.

"I knew the child would be elated," Miraglia said, after selecting a black two-wheeler Schwinn for Marc Jr. "The longer they are without a bike when it gets stolen, the more they think about it."

Even though the bike is used, Marc Jr. doesn't seem to mind. "I like it 'cause it's faster and I can keep up with my friends," he said.

"It looks brand-new. [Miraglia] put [on] brand-new handlebars, the tires are brand-new. It doesn't even look like it was ever used," his mom added.

Marc Jr.'s old bike, on the other hand, often required fixing. A few weeks prior to the theft, his father had taken it to Miraglia's shop for a new tire - though the owner did not realize it was the same person when he was responded to the Web posting. Little did Miraglia know how big of an impression he would ultimately make.

"It's so nice to know there's still people out there in South Philly that still care," Michelle said. "They do it just to do it, not to get acknowledged by us."