PITTSBURGH — A memorial honoring a bicyclist who died in a crash has disappeared.
A “ghost bike” sat along the intersection of Overbrook Boulevard and Almont Street in Pittsburgh’s Carrick neighborhood for over a decade.
This bicycle serves as a reminder of the life of John Pearson, intended to represent it will never again have a rider.
As of Wednesday, it had vanished.
Angel Pearson, John’s daughter, says the spot is where she would come to mourn her dad, who died after he was hit by a car while riding his bike in 2013.
“There’s nothing left here, not even a flag- not a little statue, not even stuff I had engraved,” Angel Pearson said.
She wants to find the person responsible.
“To see it completely gone and everything with it completely gone…like who did this? That’s not cool. This is my dad’s memorial. This is where I came; like I don’t have any parents, I don’t have any family except my sis and her kids, this is where I would come to speak to my dad,” Angel Pearson said.
The bike was more than a memorial; it was a reminder for drivers to slow down.
“There’s actually people doing U-turns right behind us. Cars, while we are standing here, going through stop signs,” Angel Pearson said.
She lovingly cared for the spot and pulled weeds in the area. She plans a police report for the items that were stolen, but she’s still left with the one question: why would someone do this?
Angel has contacted Bike Pittsburgh, which put up the memorial, to try to find out what happened.
They are also trying to find answers, but there isn’t a local or state agency that keeps track of or monitors these ghost bikes.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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