A new warning from police about 'secure garages'

SEATTLE -- Please, don't leave anything valuable in your car.

Thieves in two separate cases broke into secured garages in Seattle and ripped people off.

Fortunately, we know what they look like and just need your help identifying them.

Seattle detectives say this guy (seen in video) is a burglar and a car thief. Surveillance video shows him going from vehicle to vehicle looking in them for anything to steal.



"If you have really valuable things, your computer, your iPad. You're storing personal things on them,  maybe your codes, your PIN numbers, all those things, take it the next step, take it from your car, take it to your apartment and let's be safe,” Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound Executive Director Myrle Carner said.

One victim didn't and the thief found his Mountain Hardware backpack with his Apple MacBook, two Panasonic video cameras in cases and Bose headphones in the car when he smashed out the window.

"Just because it's a secured garage doesn't mean it's totally secure, so take your stuff with you,” Carner said.

The thief loaded everything into a black Nissan 300 ZX and then stole it as well.

"There’s lot of anger and confusion, because you’re not sure how it happened,” Car theft victim Brad Leonard said.

Leonard felt anger and confusion because that black 300zx was his car.

"So when I actually went down to the parking garage and saw it, or didn’t see it there, it was one of those double takes where you actually close your eyes and open them again thinking that maybe you didn’t see it right. You can’t believe it,” Leonard said.

Police found the car but don't know the suspect’s identity.

He looks to be in his late teens or early 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with short brown hair.

Cops are hoping you know his name.

That break-in was on Stoneway North on July 19th.

Then on August 2nd, detectives say a different suspect who you see here trying to break into a condo building on N. Northlake Way in Seattle pulled off a similar crime.

"He's pretty agile. He jumps a fence. Once he's inside the fence, then he breaks into the complex. Once he's in the complex, he works his way down to the quote unquote secured parking garage where he does his car prowl and then he steals a vehicle,” Carner said.

That car he jacked was a 1997 red Honda Civic and it hasn't been found.

Detectives also say the man broke into several other vehicles.

"Just use common sense, remove the valuable items out of view, take them with you or lock them up somewhere else,” Carner said.

If you can tell police the name of either of these accused thieves, Crime Stoppers will pay you a cash reward. Call the hotline at 1-800-222-TIPS.