PLEASANTON (BCN)–An alert neighbor helped lead police to arrest a man who allegedly broke into several cars early Tuesday morning in Pleasanton.
At 2:32 a.m., officers responded to a report of a suspect stealing property from a vehicle in the 500 block of St. John Street, according to police.
A resident in the area told officers they witnessed a man inside their neighbor’s car.
When officers arrived, they saw a man walking out of the backyard of a home on Peters Avenue. Officers contacted the suspect, identified as Steven Fox, 27, police said.
Fox matched the description given by the neighbor and was also identified in a line-up.
After an initial investigation, officers learned several vehicles in the area had been broken into during the early morning hours.
Officers also found that Fox was in possession of stolen property taken from the vehicles, according to police.
Additionally, officers located a key fob in the area where officers had initially seen Fox. The vehicle that the key fob belonged to was found near downtown Pleasanton and was determined to have been stolen from Fremont.
Officers arrested Fox on suspicion of vehicle theft, possession of stolen property and possession of a stolen vehicle, police said.
Police are reminding residents to always leave their vehicles locked and to never leave valuables in plain sight.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Pleasanton police at (925) 931-5100.