RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - John and Laura Petersen were taking in a night of karaoke at the Rancho Murieta Country Club on Jan. 12 when he struck up a conversation with a young man after he finished singing.

Zachary O’Campo told the Petersen that he needed something fun to do because his bicycle had been stolen earlier that night from a rack outside Bel Air Market where he works as a courtesy clerk. The bike was his only source of transportation since he can’t drive.

Petersen told his wife that he couldn’t let it stand, so he went to the microphone to make an announcement.  Within minutes, he had collected $300 towards replacing the bike.

When he got home, Petersen set up a GoFundMe account for O’Campo with the title “Zach’s Freedom was Stolen” and posted the link on the Nextdoor social media site. His fundraising goal was $700.

Petersen said he and Laura added $200 to the $300 from the country club collection to make the first anonymous donation of $500. “By the time I woke up the next morning, we had $1,000. Then by 2 p.m., it was at $2,400. And then we shut it off at $3,695 the following day.”

Nextdoor notified Petersen that his post went viral with 105,000 views in 48 hours. “I even got messages from Chicago and Michigan,” he said. “It was pretty amazing.”

Although it would be eight days before GoFundMe would send the check, the Petersens took O’Campo to Mike’s Bikes in Folsom on Jan. 14 to buy him a new bike.

Peterson said several residents, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Mike’s Bikes and Sam’s Town Cyclery also had offered to give him a gently used bike.

Petersen said they gave O’Campo the check, minus the bike reimbursement and GoFundMe charge when he and his mother brought flowers and a card to their home. “Zach was so grateful and humbled by the outpouring,” Petersen said. “He wants to pay it forward.”

Petersen said the response from the community had been incredible. “The outpouring of love and support just shows what Rancho Murieta is,” he said. “We take care of our own.”

Two days after his bike was stolen Zachary O’Campo is getting a new one at Mike’s Bikes in Folsom thanks to the generosity of Rancho Murieta residents. Photo courtesy John Petersen