A Villager is grateful to law enforcement after she got back her beloved bicycle.
Judith Zingale, 76, of the Village of Rio Grande, pedaled this past Sunday afternoon to Target at Rolling Acres Plaza. She had company coming over and needed to pick up some napkins.
She was inside for only a few minutes, came back out and discovered her blue Mongoose bicycle had been stolen.
She was both stunned and heartbroken.
Bicycling is a favorite activity of the woman known as “Mrs. Z” at the Buffalo Adventures afterschool program at the Villages Charter School.
“The police have a lot to do, so it was hard for me to believe that finding my bicycle would be a priority,” said Zingale who has been in The Villages since 2006.
But within days, an officer spotted a boy with a bicycle. It fit the description of Zingale’s bicycle. The boy had gotten the bicycle from some older boys who had apparently snatched it at Target.
“One officer told me, ‘I’ve been looking for your bicycle for two days,’” she said.
She had high praise for the Lady Lake Police Department.
“I am so impressed with them. They really work as a team,” she said.
