Belmont Police Nab Suspect Car Thief Thanks to 911 Caller, Alert Neighbor

Belmont police are crediting two local residents’ quick actions for helping them catch a suspected auto thief on Monday.

According to Belmont Police Patrick Halleran, at around 8:15 a.m. a man heard noises coming from his carport in the 1100 block of Continentals Way.

“When the resident looked out he saw a male suspect attempting to gain entry to his 1983 Porsche,” Halleran said in a news release. “The victim immediately called 9-1-1 and officers arrived within minutes to find that the suspect had fled.”

Police officers began searching for the man, and soon heard from a neighbor who said they saw a suspicious man near a black Mercedes.

“A short time later officers located the suspect, Mark Darosa age 38 of Gilroy, as he was driving out of a nearby apartment complex in the black Mercedes,” Halleran said.

Darosa was arrested at that time, and taken to jail on charges of attempted vehicle burglary and possession of burglary tools, according to the captain.

“The Belmont Police would like to commend both the victim and neighbor for being alert and their quick and accurate reporting when they saw suspicious activity,” he said. “Remember ’when you see something...say something’.”