Motorcycle Sellers Warned: Beware of Thefts at Hospitals; Harley Owners Targeted by Physician Impersonator in Pennsylvania and Ohio

    HARRISBURG, Pa., July 11 In the wake of motorcycle thefts
at hospitals in York, PA, and Akron, OH, The Hospital & Healthsystem
Association of Pennsylvania (HAP) today issued a warning to motorcycle sellers
being contacted by an individual posing as a physician.
    In the York and Akron thefts, Harley-Davidson owners who placed classified
"for sale" ads were contacted by an individual claiming to be a physician at a
local hospital. The individual then asked the seller to bring the motorcycle
to the hospital. At the hospital, the owner handed his keys to the green-
scrubs-and-lab-coat-clad impostor, who then took the motorcycle for a "test
drive."
    "In both York and Akron, the `physician' hopped on the Harley, drove off,
and never returned," said Roger Baumgarten, spokesman for HAP. "In both cases,
the thief took advantage of the high degree of trust we all place in doctors
and hospitals."
    Based on physical descriptions reported in Pennsylvania and Ohio, it
appears that the theft was committed by the same individual-though it is
unknown if he has any accomplices. York and Akron are approximately 350 miles
from one another.
    HAP warned motorcycle owners-particularly Harley-Davidson owners-to be
alert for this type of theft when selling their motorcycles, and to call their
local police department if they receive a call from a buyer claiming to be a
hospital physician.
    "Through HAP and the American Hospital Association, we have alerted
hospitals nationwide to this ruse," Baumgarten said. "We also urge motorcycle
owners to beware of any potential buyer purporting to be a doctor and who asks
that the seller meet him at the hospital."
    HAP is a statewide membership services organization that advocates for
nearly 250 Pennsylvania acute and specialty care, primary care, subacute care,
long-term care, home health, and hospice providers, as well as the patients
and communities they serve. Additional information about HAP is available at
http://www.haponline.org.