Adam Marks was still reeling about the theft of his son Sam's specially-made bike when police arrived at his Bar Beach doorstep on Saturday afternoon.
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Sam's new ride, which was heartlessly stolen in broad daylight barely a week after he first got it, had been found.
The Newcastle Herald reported earlier that morning how the bike belonging to the 22-year-old - who lives with severe autism, is non-verbal and wheelchair-bound - was snatched while parked in a courtyard only metres from the front door of the family home while Mr Marks was helping Sam in the bathroom.
A man wearing a black hoody was seen riding the bike away from the Brooks Street home, down Parkway Avenue, at about 2.30pm on Thursday.
On Saturday, Mr Marks labelled the thief a "waste of space", given the bike was clearly designed for a person who was living with a disability.
For Sam, the bike had been a way for he and his dad to go on their twice daily venture down the street without the need for a wheelchair.
Mr Marks said the bike had brought a few smiles to each of their faces in the handful of days Sam owned it before the theft.
He said on Monday the story had prompted multiple messages of support from people in the community and, at about 2.30pm on Saturday, two police officers returned the bike to his son.
"That bloke would have been too hot to be riding around on it," Mr Marks said.
The bike had a distinctive look - thick tyres like those from an off-road mountain bike and a pair of training wheels at the rear, below a handle for Mr Marks to hold while Sam was riding.
Mr Marks thanked police for the quick work, as well as those in the community who shared Sam's story and sent messages of support.
He said the messages were a good counter-balance to his experience earlier in the week when the theft occurred, when it seemed "society is going that bad if people have got to steal disabled bikes".
"It does make you feel nice, everyone on social media [being supportive]," he said.
"It's good to see there is care and empathy for people."
Broadmeadow business Independent Mobility and Rehab contacted Mr Marks on Monday to offer Sam a free service of the bike and his wheelchair.
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