comradehoser

Alright, I didn't know exactly where to post this, so I will post here, since you all find bikes all the time--please bear with me, or send me to the appropriate forum.

Last night, biking home on my commute, I come across a frame about 6 feet behind a van on the "tree strip" next to the sidewalk. I go to check it out (cause I'm looking to build a fixie and people leave decent bikes lying around in my neighborhood), and immediately notice it's a very nice alu. road frame kitted out with top-end Shimano, only it's torn in half. Looks like somebody hit it on an overhang or garage while it was on a car's roof rack. I notice the van is running. I look in, nobody's home in the driver side. So I start to pick the bike up, and this guy gets out. I ask, "is this your bike?" he says, "yeah but it's broke." I say "yeah, it's pretty broken, alright," and I ask--"do you want it back"--he says, "no, you keep it, you keep it."

Something struck me as odd about this--the fact that he was maybe a bit sketchy and in a late model van, and so willing to give it away. So, the question is, what is my ethical duty, here? Take the guy for granted that this is his bike and he is ignorant of the value of the parts, consider the bike a gift, and strip it? Try and find out if it was stolen or a result of an accident? (the tear pattern would indicate not accident--handlebars and wheels are fine) Anyone know how to check for stolen bikes? I don't know if the cops will give me specific info on lost bikes, and it could have been from any number of jurisdictions around here. I already checked the national bike registry--nothing recent fits it--no DC, MD, or VA registration # on the bike. Post up in road bikes here, and craig's list? I don't really know what else to do.

The last thing I want is bad karma hunting me down on a bike, especially a road bike. What say you, intrepid fellow travellers?