Originally Posted by
sonatageek
Given the time of year I would assume the bike was in the trash. I work at a University and at the end of the school year all kinds of useful and could be made useful (the bike in question does not sound like it was in ride-able shape) things get thrown out.
The OP stated he "came across" it near his local university. He should contact the University Police or Local Police to find out if it was stolen. If it is not stolen he can ask them what he needs to do to claim property that is not his. Even if the bike was in the trash I would ask just to be on the safe side.
It doesn't matter the time of year. You can't claim things that are not yours without first notifying the proper authorities. Otherwise I would have claimed a 2009 Specialized Tarmac that was in my size
. It had a flat tire for over a month and was thus un-ride-able
. Since it hadn't been moved for over a month it must also have been abandoned
.