Man Charged With Burglarizing Parked Cars In Manhattan Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA – Authorities arrested a man suspected of burglarizing parked cars in Manhattan Beach parking lots, the Manhattan Beach Police Department announced Wednesday.

Jose Vega-Contreras, 34, of Wilmington, was arrested Saturday and charged with identity theft, receiving stolen property, and vehicle burglary. He was released pending court proceedings, Manhattan Beach police Sgt. Tim Zins said.

Five vehicle burglaries occurred in February and March at the El Porto parking lot (4499 The Strand) and the Manhattan Beach Pier parking lots (01 Manhattan Beach Boulevard). In each case, the suspect stole keys that were left on a beach towel or hidden somewhere on a parked vehicle, police said. Several items were stolen from the vehicles, including the victims' wallets and credit cards. The suspect then used the stolen credit cards to make fraudulent purchases throughout the South Bay, police said.

MBPD Detectives obtained video surveillance photos of a possible suspect using these stolen credit cards. Then, on Saturday, MBPD Detectives and SWAT Team members conducted a surveillance operation in the El Porto parking lot when they observed a "suspicious subject" looking into parked cars, police said.

"This subject matched the description of the outstanding suspect seen purchasing items with the stolen credit cards," MBPD said. "The suspect was detained by officers and found to be in possession of stolen property from vehicles in the El Porto parking lot."

The Manhattan Beach Police Department wants to remind the public to never leave their keys in or around their parked vehicles or unattended on the beach.