An Amazon delivery woman was pushed off an electric cargo bicycle in a hijacking in Belfast City Centre on Sunday afternoon before the bike was cycled to the Falls Road area, emptied and set alight.
The bike was stolen at Fisherwick Place at around 3.55pm on Sunday before it was cycled around 2.5 miles (4km) away to Falls Park, where it was found on fire. Police said that two young males were arrested before being given bail.
A masked male was filmed cycling the bicycle along Fisherwick Place. This clip was apparently taken moments after the driver was knocked off the bike.
Those involved in the hijacking also shared clips on social media. This included a clip from the bicycle while it was being cycled in the city centre, a still of one of those involved posing with the bicycle apparently in the park, and a clip of the bike being emptied out in a green area with the packages opened up on the ground.
The PSNI have asked anybody with information or footage to contact 101 or use the PSNI’s online reporting form, quoting reference number CW 961 – 06/10/24.
Amazon started using cargo bicycles in Northern Ireland’s capital back in May, following the use of bicycles for deliveries in more than 40 cities across Europe. At the time, Amazon said that its micro-mobility hub at Belfast’s Titanic Quarter would host a fleet of electric cargo bikes, although it didn’t say how many.
The company said that the bikes would be used to deliver thousands of packages per week while keeping delivery vans off city centre roads, improving air quality, and alleviating congestion.