Acushnet Community Steps Up for Girl Whose Bike was Stolen

On Friday, one Acushnet girl saw the ugly side of people when her bike was stolen from her own yard, but soon after, her faith was restored by one generous person who decided to lend a helping hand.

Last weekend, it was a normal Friday evening for 12-year-old Madison Paine. She was riding bikes with her friends around her neighborhood, and in a mad dash to make curfew, she pulled her bike next to the side steps of her home. The next day, her precious bike was gone.

This wasn’t just any bike for Paine. It was her only Easter request, and her mother, Kera Burba, put in extra time at work to purchase the yellow banana bike.

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“A frequent client of mine saw that I was taking extra hours. ... A few days later, to my surprise, the bike was parked on my lawn,” Burba said.

Burba was incredibly grateful for that person’s kindness, and so was Paine.

When the bike was stolen on Friday, Burba and Paine were heartbroken. “(Our home) is way off the main road we live on and (the bike) was in no way perceived to be for sale or for the taking,” explained Burba.

Burba’s security cameras caught the thief in the act, slowly approaching the bicycle to avoid triggering the sensors. It was a scary sight to see for Burba and a devastating loss for Paine.

Burba immediately shared the robbery to a public Facebook group, hoping someone had seen her daughter’s bike.

“Within minutes, the outpouring of support, offers to help find her bike, and comments of kindness came flooding in,” she said.

One person, who chose to remain anonymous, shared that they will be gifting Paine a brand-new bike.

“They didn’t do it for any reason other than to give a good human a happy ending,” said Burba. “In a world that can sometimes literally rob us of our happiness, good souls stepped up and showed my daughter that generosity always wins.”