Police in Anaheim are crediting vigilant neighbors sharing surveillance video on a neighborhood app with helping catch a pair of teenage car burglars on a crime spree.
The suspects, who were identified and arrested, are 16 and 17 years old, police said. The teens tried to break into a dozen cars and were successful four times, in one case they used a credit card to break in, according to police.
Multiple surveillance videos were shared among residents in an Anaheim Hills neighborhood, police say, and the thieves can be seen searching for unlocked cars.
By sharing the videos on a neighborhood app, residents were able to help police make an arrest.
"It's just remarkable to see them anywhere between midnight and 3 a.m.," Stu Saddoris, a resident, said. "Whole neighborhood passes around videos, these kids, usually in twos, go around checking door handles."
"Everyone's complacent, think, 'Not happen to me,' and it does happen to me," Brian Stanley, another resident, said.
The crime spree started at a car wash on Oct. 16, when someone stole jewelry and other items from a parked car, according to police. Then, they say, videos from cameras throughout this neighborhood started circulating online. Detectives soon realized they were following an 11-hour crime spree by the same two suspects.
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Authorities advise locking up cars and ensuring that the remote and keys are not left inside, even when the car is parked in the driveway.
