Three-year-old's epic theft and joyride

The toddler wandered around Epic Cycles before riding out of the store on a bike. Photos / Supplied

These photos record the moment what could be New Zealand's youngest bike thief wheeled away his swag.

The toddler, believed to be three, took a shining to a blue and white Xero bicycle, complete with training wheels, on Wednesday.

In fact, he liked it so much he rode the $217 bike out of Marewa Epic Cycles in Napier.

Shopowner Julie O'Regan didn't discover the bike, which has a steering handle for parents at the back, was missing until Thursday morning.

"We checked with everyone, and checked on our records and made sure it hadn't been sold.

"There was no sign of it, so we started trawling through the security camera footage."

O'Regan wasn't expecting to see a brown-haired tot, aged "three or four", walk into the shop, find "the smallest blue bike", get on and leave.

"It's a matter of half-a-minute, in and out," she said.

The sight of the boy, wearing a striped hooded sweatshirt, dark pants and white-toed sneakers, riding out of the front door was a huge "surprise".

She is not mad at the toddler, but she is concerned his parents or caregivers have not been in touch.

"Any 3-year-old would be tempted with anything like that. He's just going for that bike, he doesn't touch anything else. We are a bit disappointed that the parent hasn't done something. We assumed that the child wasn't on his own. [But] we honestly don't know what the circumstances were."

The lone staff member did not see the incident because he was in the office.

"We have a door sensor that warns us when somebody walks into the shop, but it may not have gone off. Or it might have gone off and the staff member ... may have looked out but not seen the child."

O'Regan is urging the boy's parents or caregivers to do the right thing.

"We'd just like the parent, or person concerned, to pay for it, or leave it somewhere for us to pick up, or anonymously send us the money.

"We feel really for the child because he obviously thinks he's got a new bike and that's a bit sad if it gets taken away."

Community police officer Shane Gibson told Hawke's Bay Today an adult may have told the child to grab the bike. "He rode off into the sunset. I've come across some young kids [offenders] but none this young."

Senior Sergeant Fred van Durren said it was a huge leap to say the 3-year-old had stolen the bike, but the parents should come forward.