A man suspected of stealing a vehicle Thursday in Watsonville was arrested after he reportedly answered a call from police on the victim's cellphone.
Uriel Lopez Onofre, 33, of Watsonville, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, possession of stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia.
The Watsonville Police Department responded around 7 p.m. Thursday to the area of Freedom Boulevard at Clifford Avenue on a report of a stolen vehicle.
The victim had left the keys in the ignition of the vehicle while going into a bakery. When the victim returned, the vehicle was gone, police said.
The victim called a cellphone that was in the vehicle, and the suspect, later identified as Onofre, answered the phone and had a brief conversation with the victim, police said.
A police service specialist responded to the scene and made another call to the cellphone and was able to develop a rapport with the suspect and engage him in a casual conversation.
During the conversation, the police service specialist was able to obtain Onofre's name, clothing description and location, police said.
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Responding officers were directed to the area of 485 Holohan Road near the Northgate Apartments and located Onofre and the stolen vehicle while the suspect was still on the cellphone.
Police said Onofre ended his cellphone conversation as officers approached him, and he was taken into custody.
