Burglar Caught In The Act During Newton Home Break: Report

NEWTON, MA — As police and residents were on high alert amid a string of break-ins around Newton, a man was arrested in the act of rifling through an SUV in a garage on Countryside Road early Tuesday.

Channel 5 reported a resident became suspicious when they got a security alert on their phone that their garage door was open. When they checked out their security footage, they told the news station they saw a man rifling through their car. That's when they called police.

Since the beginning of the year, there have been 130 reports of break-ins across the city, including 61 car break-ins. Of those break-ins, 18 were reported since April 1.

Newton Lt. Bruce Apotheker said police are still investigating whether this was related, and encouraged residents to maintain vigilance and to report anything suspicious.

Police also have put out a call to residents with street facing security cameras to share their contact information to make for quicker investigations should something happen in their neighborhood.

On April 13, police arrested Peter K. Ciesluk, 36, of Newton and charged him with five felony counts of breaking and entering during the nighttime and one count of receiving stolen property, according to police.

Related: Got A Security Camera? Newton Police Ask For Volunteers To Share

• Police Seek Highland Avenue Break-Ins ...
• Newton Woman Finds Masked Man In Her Home, No ... -