This “ghost bike” honoring Aleksander Teimouri was stolen from the intersection of Rochester and Haine School roads in Cranberry Township. Teimouri was struck by a suspected drunken driver Dec. 26 as he was riding his bicycle home from work on Rochester Road. The ghost bike serves as a symbol of remembrance for cyclists who have died, and aim to remind drivers to be attentive of those on bikes.

There’s low down rotten behavior — and then there’s stealing a memorial for a dead man.

That offense was recently committed at Haine School and Rochester roads in Cranberry Township, where a “ghost bike” memorial has been located for the past 19 months.

Ghost bikes symbolize the location where a cyclist has been killed, and they are used to remind motorists to be mindful of cyclists on the road.

In this case, the cyclist was 22-year-old Alek Teimouri, who was struck and killed while bicycling home from work at Mad Mex on the day after Christmas in 2018.

The ghost bike was inoperable and fastened to the pole at the Cranberry Township locale. It was adorned with streams of pink ribbon that included messages written at Teimouri’s funeral, the young man’s Mad Mex waist pouch and a triangular sign in the frame that referenced the day he died.

It was, in the words of Christina Teimouri, Alek’s mother, “a beautiful memorial.” And it might have provided some solace to Teimouri’s loved ones that the memorial in his name could possibly alert drivers to cyclists on the road and, in the process, prevent further tragedies.

That is, until some cretin stole it.

Seriously, one would think that at a time our nation is going through an unprecedented series of challenges due to COVID-19, a faltering economy, mass protests and divisive politics, one might be inspired to do good deeds or be kinder to their neighbors.

We’ve printed some of those stories in our pages these past few months. The insensitive crook who stole Teimouri’s memorial could take a lesson from them.

Christina Teimouri believes that somebody — other than just the thief — out there must know something, especially considering how foolishly people brag about criminal behavior on social media. She’s probably right.

If anyone comes across a hint as to who stole the ghost bike, get in touch with Cranberry Township police at 724-776-5180.

Better yet, if anyone knows of its location and is able to return it, they can drop it off at either All Saints Anglican Church on Haine School Road or Cranberry Community United Church on Rochester Road.

We hope that someone in the community knows something that could lead to the memorial getting returned to its rightful place.

— NCD