"Ghost Bike" Installed in Doylestown

Its whiteness is stark against the black of the bicycle rack on Doylestown's State Street.

Chained to the rack on one of the town's busiest thoroughfares, the "ghost bike" bears a haunting message:

"In memory of cyclist John Chapman, of Queens, NYC, killed on Rt. 413 by a hit & run driver, May 28, 2011."

The bicycle was installed recently by Doylestown area cycling enthusiasts. They hope it helps police and the community find the driver who killed Chapman.

"When we learned about John Chapman’s death, we were all pretty rattled about it," Phil Ehlinger said Wednesday morning. "He was a guest coming down to ride our roads, and we killed him and threw him in a ditch. We wanted to do something about it."

Chapman was riding from Newark, N.J., to Quakertown with the Fast and Fabulous Cycling Club on May 28, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

Fellow riders said he was standing on the side of Durham Road consulting a cue sheet when a pickup truck hit him.

Chapman was taken to Doylestown Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Plumstead police still are searching for the driver of the truck, described as a 2000 to 2006 Chevy or GMC pickup.

A passenger side mirror was found at the scene, so the truck is likely either missing that mirror or recently had it replaced, Ehlinger said Wednesday.

Doylestown attorney and bicycling enthusiast Terry Clemons helped start a reward fund to help find the driver. The Central Bucks Bike Club, as a group, and its members as individuals have contributed, as has Chapman's bike club. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia also helped spread the word.

The reward now stands at $25,000.

The ghost bike in Doylestown joins another ghost bike installed at the scene of Chapman's death in Plumstead.

"The ghost bike up at the crime scene was to draw attention to the site. Because of the amount of foot traffic here in town, we thought putting one in Doylestown would draw attention to the reward and to this sad incident," said Ehlinger, who has been cycling for years. He is also Doylestown Borough's assistant manager.

Though Chapman likely is not the first bicyclist to die on Bucks County roads, Ehlinger said his death hit local cyclists particularly hard.

"I’m sure there have been many others, sadly, but this one seemed to resonate very deeply with us," he said. "Maybe it's because he was a guest on our roads. Or maybe its because we all know that conflict between motorists and cyclists has become very acute.

"Whatever the reason, we just couldn't let it go. We want to find (the driver) and raise awareness that it is very dangerous out there on the roads right now."

Anyone with information on the crash that killed Chapman is asked to call the police at 215-766-8741 or 215-766-8740.