A Bushwick man has been reunited with his upright bass after a misunderstanding led to it being taken from the sidewalk outside his apartment.
Dan briefly left the bass on the curb while running upstairs to his apartment.
Surveillance video later showed another man, Reese, picking up the instrument. Reese says he thought it was free for the taking.
“I see things on the street all the time up for grabs,” Reese said. “I waited, asked around, and then took it.”
Dan initially worked with police to locate the bass but suspected that Reese wasn’t a thief from the beginning.
“I felt the whole time it was just a simple misunderstanding,” Dan said.
After police provided Dan with Reese’s information, he reached out, and Reese returned the bass, saying he was happy to clear things up. The two discovered they live near each other and are discussing starting a street band.
Dan says he has learned his lesson about leaving his instrument unattended but is glad the situation worked out in the end.