CLEVELAND — For months, we've told you countless stories of cars being broken into or even stolen across Northeast Ohio, but this time, within hours, one man was able to get his belongings back with the help of police and technology.
For John Booth, Sunday’s disappointment usually stems from the Browns' performance on the field, but this time, his frustration came from how he found his truck after leaving the game.
“I noticed that the door is ajar, and it kind of triggered that something might be wrong, but it wasn't until I got in it and it had been ransacked,” said Booth.
Sunday, Booth parked his truck at the Triskett RTA Station to avoid downtown parking costs ahead of the game; when he returned, it was clear someone had been inside.
“My iPad Pro was missing, my dash cam, hot wheels cars for my kids that we started to collect,” said Booth.
However, one thing that saved Booth was his iPad technology. As he filed a report with RTA police, his fiancée pinged the iPad and saw it was at Edgewater Park. They immediately called Metro Parks police and headed that way.
“There was, like, four cruisers there, like they were not playing games yesterday, and they helped you out,” said Booth.
As Booth searched with police for the suspect and the stolen objects, his fiancée was with his kids playing on the beach when she looked down and found the iPad in the sand.
“It was laying on the beach just like this, and then, you know, of course, I got most of the sand out of it already,” said Booth.
His fiancée also noticed a man in the distance acting out of the ordinary, so she took a photo.
“When she took that picture, I was like, 'Oh, that's not the guy,'” said Booth.
Police approached him, and it turned out it was the guy. In a red coat that the man was carrying were all of Booth's belongings, which included a lot more than he thought.
Booth said he still doesn't know how the thief was able to get into his locked truck, but he's thankful for iPad technology and the Metroparks police.
“I didn't know if he had one of those bags to push the door open, he actually unlocked my truck that way. Or, you know, just a random for frequency, managed to unlock my truck,” said Booth.
Metroparks police took the suspect into custody, and charges are pending.
When asked for a statement or information about car break-ins, Cleveland police sent the following safety tips:
- Avoid leaving items in plain sight inside your vehicle.
- Do not leave valuables in your vehicle.
- Lock your vehicle.
- Park in a well-lit area and note where you parked.
- Don’t leave your vehicle running or unattended.
- Review safety tips with your family.
- And if you see something suspicious, say something.
