Full Notification

On Saturday, January 11, at approximately 11:37 a.m., a resident called the Newport Beach Police Communications Center to report a suspicious vehicle.  The caller, who was able to provide a vehicle description and partial license plate number, had seen the vehicle’s driver stop outside her home, write something down on a piece of paper, and then drive away.

Three days earlier, on January 8, Newport Beach Police Detective Tracy McKenzie had reviewed a Huntington Beach Police Department Information Bulletin regarding a white Jeep Rubicon, which had been linked to multiple residential burglaries.  Knowing that a similar vehicle had been seen in the area of some recent residential burglaries, Detective McKenzie put out a notice to the Dover Shores area on Nextdoor.com (a free private social network for neighborhoods), asking residents to “please call police immediately if you see this white Jeep Rubicon in the neighborhood.”

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 January 11.  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 located the vehicle a short distance away and initiated a vehicle stop on Santiago Drive.

Officers conducted a field investigation and subsequently arrested both occupants of the vehicle: the driver for a Possession of Stolen Property warrant and the passenger for a Burglary warrant and Possession of Burglary Tools.  Both men had additional “no bail” holds that will preclude them from custody release.  Officers contacted Huntington Beach Police Detectives and subsequently released both arrestees into HBPD’s custody.  Newport Beach Detectives will continue to work in collaboration with Huntington Beach on this investigation.  In addition to the Huntington Beach cases, it is anticipated that these suspects may be responsible for more than 20 residential burglaries in Newport Beach.

These arrests are the direct result of communication and community involvement.  Residents were alerted to the suspect vehicle description through the Nextdoor.com post from Detective McKenzie, and their vigilance enabled officers to locate these elusive suspects.  The Newport Beach Police Department encourages members of the Community to subscribe to Nixle.com and to participate in Neighborhood Watch by utilizing 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 Department’s non-emergency phone line at 949-644-3717.

Further information on the arrestees is being withheld for the time being.  Anyone who may have additional information on this case is encouraged to contact Detective Tracy McKenzie at 949-644-3761, Detective Chris Kimble at 949-644-3767, or the Newport Beach Police Department Hotline at 1-800-550-NBPD.  Messages may be left anonymously if so desired.