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Suspect arrested after thief drops cellphone during Langley garage heist

Homeowners found phone and shared the suspect’s picture online
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The phone the homeowner found in this garage the next morning featured a close-up selfie of a man and woman. They were quickly identified after this picture was shared online. (Facebook.)

Abbotsford police say they have arrested a suspect in the case of the butter-fingered thief who dropped a cell phone while looting a Langley garage.

“We were notified that he was in Abbotsford. So police were able to locate and arrest him,” said Sgt. Judy Bird, media officer for the Abbotsford Police Department. “He was located in a stolen vehicle, that’s why we were alerted.”

The Langley homeowner, Lee Jackson, said he received a call from Abbotsford police on Thursday who said they arrested a man and found most of his stolen belongings.

After waking up on Oct. 2 and finding his garage and his wife’s vehicle had been broken into, Jackson found the phone with a picture of suspect’s face on the background wallpaper. Jackson’s wife decided to share the suspect’s picture online.

“Someone broke into our garage last night!… And they dropped something! Their phone! In my car!” said the wife in a social media post.

The post ended up being shared over 495 times and the man in the wallpaper was quickly identified by people commenting online.

The suspect allegedly called the phone after Jackson dialed some of the contacts in its phone book. Jackson told the suspect he would give the phone back if he got his belongings back, but the man cut off contact shortly after.

RELATED: Thief forgets a cellphone in Langley garage during burglary