Man on stolen motorbike caught taking donations away from flood victims

Man on stolen motorbike caught taking donations away from flood victims

2025-10-06

On Sunday, a Hualien police officer pulled over a scooter rider without a helmet, only to find out that he had violated more than just traffic rules. The man, who had travelled all the way from New Taipei, did so on a stolen motorbike. Not only that, he also stopped by Guangfu Township to grab some “freebies” and snacks meant for survivors of the flooding.

– Whose motorbike is this?
– A friend’s.
– Where did you come from?
– Taipei. My boss wanted me here.
– Your boss wanted you to drive a scooter all the way here?

A police officer orders a scooter driver to pull over. The young man was thought to have violated traffic rules, but there’s actually more.

– Where did all this stuff come from?
– They were given to me.
– Who gave them to you?
– It’s for disaster victims.

The man claims that he’s on a business trip from Taipei to Hualien. But he’s transporting a large amount of biscuits and instant noodles given to survivors of the Guangfu flooding. Turns out the food’s stolen, and so is the scooter.

– You can’t even tell me who owns this scooter.

The 23-year-old man surnamed Liao had stolen the scooter on Oct. 3 and drove it all the way south to Hualien, which would have taken him six hours. After spending a night in Hualien, he stopped over at Guangfu Township to pick up multiple packets of biscuits and instant noodles meant for disaster victims. He only got pulled over by the police because he didn’t wear a helmet, but that ended up unveiling his entire heist.

Lee Kuan-ting
Hualien Research and Administration Department
The most important thing was to help disaster victims, so we don’t do identity checks whatsoever. Anyone in need can pick up supplies.

Lai Po-han
Hualien County Police Bureau
The scooter the man was driving was stolen. He was arrested on the spot. The case is dealt with as theft caught in the act, and will be filed with the Hualien District Court for investigation.

According to police, what is known about the man so far is that he’s not from Hualien and has no criminal records. It seems unfathomable why he would decide to steal a motorbike and travel so far just to pick up some snacks.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#hualien #gangfu #bizarre #theft #travel #giveaway

三重偷機車"騎到光復拿物資" 男子沒戴安全帽遭攔查逮捕

2025-10-06

到底是去做愛心、還是去偷拿物資?花蓮警方昨天攔查到一名沒扣安全帽帶的男子，一查發現，騎的機車，竟是前一天新北三重通報的失竊車輛，加上車上還有好幾包免費物資，但該嫌犯根本不是光復當地人，令警方不解的是男子騎車騎了好百公里的路程，只是為了拿物資?

- 車子是誰的
- 朋友的.
- 從哪裡來的你從哪裡來
- 台北老闆叫我.
- 老闆叫你騎摩托車來?

員警停在路邊，將騎著機車的年輕男子攔下，本以為只是單純交通違規，沒想到越問，越覺得不對勁...

- 你這東西是哪裡來的
- 那個發給我的啊
- 誰發給你的
- 就那個啊救災

他說自己從台北來花蓮出差，車上卻搜出好幾包光復鄉物資站發放的餅乾泡麵，原來他不僅不是災民，連車都是偷來的。

- 這個車子登記是誰的都不知道

這名23歲的廖姓男子，3號在新北三重隨機偷車後，就騎著贓車，一路南下、花了近6小時到花蓮，玩了一天，回程時，竟順便到光復鄉災區物資站，領了好幾包泡麵餅乾當"伴手禮"，最後是因為沒扣安全帽，被警方攔檢，他的誇張窮遊玩法才曝光。

[[花蓮縣府新聞科長李冠霆]]
“因為要第一時間協助災民，所以也不會有任何的身份辨別，只要有需要都能讓他領取”

[[花蓮北昌派出所所長賴柏翰]]
“該名男子騎乘普重機為失竊車輛，當場將其逮捕，全案依竊盜現行，移送花蓮地檢署偵辦”

警方初步了解，男子既不是花蓮人、也沒有前科，似乎是臨時起意作案，但千里迢迢、騎著贓車繞了半個台灣，最後貪小便宜、冒充災民，還被逮個正著。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

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Guangfu Township in Hualien County is still digging out from the disastrous flooding caused by the overflow of the Matai’an Creek barrier lake. A retiree from Taipei who moved to the area happened to leave his wooden ladders out after harvesting longan when the floods hit. It’s good he did, because one of those ladders ended up being the key to saving 25 people and two cats.

A loader is used to clear dried mud from the ground—one of many piles of earth left behind by flooding caused by the overflow of the Matai’an Creek barrier lake. Considering how much cleanup there is left to do, it’s clear the flooding was severe.

During the flood, this building near the intersection of Zhongzheng Road Section 1 and Linsen Road in Guangfu was nearly entirely submerged. This wooden ladder ended up being crucial to saving many lives: 25 adults, three children, and two cats.

Mr. Wang
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I went on the roof to pick longan, and didn’t put the ladder away when I was done. Two people got swept by this tree and held onto it. Then the people already on the roof set up the ladder over there for them to grab onto.

When he got back home, Wang found his entire house was full of mud and everything inside was destroyed. The vehicles in front were in disarray, and there were many wooden ladders around. Just as he was wondering what happened, people came to thank him. He then remembered he forgot to put away his ladder after harvesting longan. Turns out that his forgetfulness saved lives.

Mr. Wang
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I’ve planted two or three hundred plants. Some have been there for 20 or 30 years. They were all submerged. We came here to become farmers after retiring. Even if we wanted to save the plants, there was no way. The house isn’t even clear yet.

A retiree’s simple life as a farmer was ruined by the flood. Volunteers are still helping him clear out his orchard. He may have unintentionally saved many lives, but Wang stayed modest. He said if he never harvested longan, he wouldn’t have left the ladder, so maybe everyone should thank the longan tree instead.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Reins in hand, the owner and his horse trot side by side through the field. The sight baffled local residents, as this isn’t a racecourse or a farm, but a sports field.

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Voice of Mr. Wang
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The owner brought the horse here for rehab, but many Hualien residents of all ages come to the track to exercise every day. Some wondered if bringing a horse there is safe or even legal.

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Unless it’s a service dog, which are generally permitted, other similar animals, including large animals like horses, require a formal application. They need to obtain approval from the Department of Education for the desired activities before we can allow them to take place.

Mr. Wang brought Caramel here for short-term rehabilitation exercises. They didn’t impact other people exercising or harm the field—staff even inspected the grass afterward to make sure. But for safety reasons, the stadium posted notices forbidding large animals such as horses and cows, and plans to increase patrols in the future.

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As more parents are entering the workforce, daycare centers like this one run by companies can help working parents no longer worry about childcare.

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Over here, three drink shops are side-by-side. Across the street, another two are next to each other. Boba is ubiquitous, everyone is holding a drink. Taiwanese people drink a whopping 1.07 billion cups of boba every year, and 40 new beverage stores open every month.

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There are five beverage stores just within our sight. On this street alone, there are 17 shops within less than 300m of each other. Look around, and everyone is having a sip.

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Tea on its own, or with milk. There’s something for everyone. Taiwan’s annual beverage production value is estimated at NT$130 billion. Among all the beverage stores in Taiwan, over 70% are based in the six major cities.

Kaohsiung leads Taiwan in both numbers of beverage stores and sales. Beverage stores boast high gross profits, but, still, a steady flow of profits isn’t guaranteed.

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Recently, a lot have been going under, and a lot of new ones are coming in. Usually when rents go up, they switch to another place.

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There are multitudes of beverage stores and competition is fierce. If the owners fail to understand consumer preferences, they’ll be quickly eliminated from the market.

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South Africa depends on Taiwan for more than selling apples. Diplomacy is about giving and taking, so Taiwan is willing to make the effort and fight for its own best interests.

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Academically, this would be referred to as “exercising power,” which is built on your resources. Taiwan is a leader in the world when it comes to semiconductors, which make semiconductors a strategic resource. This resource can be weaponized to grant Taiwan power, in a way.

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