String Of North Shore Bike Burglaries Hit Shops In Recent Weeks

BEVERLY, MA — North Reading police on Tuesday recovered the second of two motor bikes stolen Saturday as part of a rash of what police believe are connected break-ins and bike burglaries across the North Shore.

The Beverly, Chelmsford, Lawrence and North Reading police departments are partnering in the investigations after thefts in those respective communities.

North Reading Police Chief Michael Murphy said his department worked with the Lawrence Police Department to recover the bike, which was one of two stolen from North Reading Motorsports during a break-in at approximately 3:30 a.m. on Saturday, on Tuesday.

He said bike shop owners retrieved it from the North Reading Police Station on Wednesday.

The departments recovered the other motorbike stolen from North Reading in Lawrence on Sunday.

"Although the owner's store sustained significant damage during the break-in, we were happy to be able to provide him with some solace and reunite him with both of his bikes," Murphy said. "Thank you to the members of the Lawrence Police Department for assisting us in this effort."

Murphy said the North Reading theft involved six men who used a U-Haul truck to ram into the store and gain access. Police said a black SUV, which was also believed to be part of the burglary, was recovered in Lawrence with one of the bikes inside it on Sunday.

Police said the U-Haul was discovered on Tuesday but did not indicate whether any arrests have been made in the North Reading burglary or other bike burglaries that are believed to be connected.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)