Crime & Safety

Men Arrested in Connection With 20 Newport Home Burglaries

Newport Beach police say the suspects are also linked to multiple home burglaries in Huntington Beach.

Two men were arrested over the weekend in connection with more than 20 home burglaries in Newport Beach, and several others in Huntington Beach, after police received a tip from a vigilant resident, police reported.

The resident called police Saturday at about 11:37 a.m. after noticing a suspicious vehicle's driver stop outside her home, write something down on a piece of paper and drive way. The woman remembered an alert posted on Nextdoor.com by Newport Beach police Detective Tracy McKenzie a few days earlier, which warned residents to call police if they noticed a white Jeep Rubicon in their neighborhood. The Jeep had been linked to multiple home burglaries in Huntington Beach and in the Dover Shores area.

"This message was fresh in the caller’s mind as she saw a white Jeep with a black shell stop in front of her home on Jan. 11," Jennifer Manzella, police spokeswoman, said in a released statement. "She took a photo of the vehicle with her cell phone, noted the last three digits of the license plate and called Newport Beach Police to report the incident."

Responding officers found the Jeep a short distance away and initiated a vehicle stop on Santiago Drive. The driver was arrested for a possession of stolen property warrant, and the passenger for a burglary warrant and possession of burglary tools, police reported. Both men, whose names were not released, were being held without bail, Manzella said.

The suspects were released to the custody of Huntington Beach police. Manzella said Newport Beach detectives will continue to work with the HBPD on the investigation which includes several home burglaries in both cities.

"These arrests are the direct result of communication and community involvement," Manzella added.

The Newport Beach Police Department encourages community members to subscribe to Nixle.com and to participate in Neighborhood Watch by signing up on Nextdoor.com .

For information on how to start a Neighborhood Watch program in your area, please contact the Crime Prevention Unit at 949-644-3699. Reports of suspicious activity can be made on the Newport Beach Police Department’s non-emergency phone line at 949-644-3717.

Anyone who may have more information on this case is encouraged to call Det. Tracy McKenzie at 949-644-3761, Det. Chris Kimble at 949-644-3767, or the Newport Beach Police Department Hotline at 1-800-550-NBPD. Messages may be left anonymously.

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