Palo Alto Resident Catches Burglars In Act: Police

PALO ALTO, CA -- Two San Jose men suspected of breaking into a Palo Alto home Thursday were arrested not long after a resident called to report he had come home to find the alleged burglars inside his house, according to Palo Alto police. The resident, a man in his 60s, called police at about 1:10 p.m. and said he'd just chased the duo from his home in the 2700 block of Emerson Street, police said in a statement.

The resident told responding officers that when he arrived to find the first unfamiliar man inside his home, he confronted the man, who then ran out of the home and northbound on Emerson. The resident briefly chased the burglar, then noticed a second unfamiliar man leaving the yard of his home. When confronted, the man ran off in the same direction as the first suspect, police said.

The resident decided to go inside and call police. Officers located the men nearby and detained them -- one at the intersection of Emerson and Santa Rita Avenue, the other at the intersection of N. California Avenue and Bryant Street.

The burglary suspects were identified as San Jose residents Jorge Garcia Herrera, 43, and Jose Covarrubias, 37. Both were booked into a Santa Clara County jail on suspicion of burglary of an inhabited dwelling, a felony. Herrera was also booked for an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of San Jose for drug-related offenses, and a violation of his probation, police said.

Photos via Palo Alto Police Department