VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Police Department arrested two accused burglars after a neighbor reported a possible car burglary, according to police. Authorities believe there could be more burglaries that have not yet been reported.
On April 23 at 5:43 a.m., officers from the Vero Beach Police Department responded to the 500 block of Fiddlewood Road in reference to a call of two suspicious white males who were in the area, according to a press release.
The reporting person advised dispatchers that he heard a loud bang outside his residence and when he went out to investigate the noise, he observed two subjects standing next to his neighbor’s car.
He did not recognize them from the neighborhood so he immediately called 911 to report the suspicious activity, according to authorities. He continued to observe the subjects while officers were en route and he relayed important information as they were seen possibly getting into a silver two-door vehicle.
Officers received this information and conducted a traffic stop on the car and made contact with the occupants who were identified as Christian Taylor, 19 and Jeremiah Napier, 17, according to police.
The officers saw that both Taylor and Napier had possession of several items, including a credit card that was not in either of their names and a Garmin GPS, according to authorities.
Detectives responded and began to follow-up the investigation and interview the two suspects. They learned the items in question were taken out of unlocked vehicles in the 500 block of 19th Place and that both suspects had been walking around the Central Beach area checking for unlocked vehicles and stealing items, such as loose change and any other possible valuables they could find.
Both Taylor and Napier were charged with two counts of Burglary to a Conveyance, according to police.
“The vigilance of the neighbor and the fact that the majority of the vehicles that were checked were locked kept this event from growing into numerous victims and reports of car burglaries,” said the Police Department in a released statement.
The Vero Beach Police Department encourages residents who have experienced property loss from their vehicles in the area of Central Beach or OakMont Park during the evening of April 22 or early morning hours of April 23 to call the Vero Beach Police Department non-emergency line at (772) 978-4600.
