Vehicles Stolen In Hayward, Union City Recovered; Suspect Arrested

NEWARK, CA — A suspected car thief was arrested and two stolen vehicles recovered, thanks to the eagle eyes of a friend of one of the vehicle owners, lots of citizens who reported suspicious behavior, and police from both Newark and Fremont.

It all started at 6:44 a.m Saturday at a Chevron gas station at Thornton Avenue and Cedar Boulevard in Newark. That's where the friend's stolen Nissan pickup was spotted. It was towing a VW. The pickup was stolen from Union City while the VW was stolen from Hayward.

When the friend confronted the man gassing-up the pickup, the suspect took off running and scaled a nearby wall. The friend called police.

Responding officers set up a perimeter with the help of Fremont police officers. A bloodhound was used for yard to yard searches but the suspect was not caught.

Less than 15 minutes after the perimeter was broken down, 911 callers reported a man jumping fences. The suspect was spotted casually walking on Cedar Boulevard, but sweating profusely. He was arrested for vehicle theft, prowling and a probation violation after being identified by witnesses.

The suspect is a 44-year-old man from Fremont whose identity was not immediately available.

-Image via Renee Schiavone, Patch