Updating our prior post on Bank Street police activity this morning:

Tinton Falls Police Capt. David Trevena tells us officers from that department were led into Red Bank by one of their K-9 dogs on the trail of a suspect in more than 10 car burglaries last night.

On foot with the dog, Tinton Falls police notified and were joined by their Red Bank counterparts as they crossed the town line. The burglar wasn’t found, but in conducting a search of the western end of Bank Street, where the dog had led them, Red Bank authorities discovered two adults taking shelter in a vacant house.

Arrested at about 4a were Barbara Steward, 47, who gave her last address as another vacant house on Catherine Street, and Kenneth Persico, 41, who gave his last address as Belford. They were charged with trespassing, according to Red Bank Capt. Steve McCarthy.

Trevena said the hunt began when a homeowner on Sugar Maple Lane saw a man inside his car at about 2:50a. Realizing he’d been spotted, the burglar fled on foot. A short while later, a Tinton Falls policeman reported a man taking off into Red Bank after spotting the officer’s car.

The borough, like Fair Haven and other area towns, has experienced a sharp spike in reported car burglaries recently, Trevena said. “This seems to be the year of the car burglary,” he said, adding that his department has issued warnings to residents to lock their cars and not leave expensive electronic devices in them.

Last night’s suspect is believed to have trolled a neighborhood checking for unlocking cars. He appears to have found at least 10 of them within a quarter-mile range, Trevena said.

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