When Noah Stephenson woke up Tuesday morning, he knew something was wrong.
” My dog was barking and he kind of has a special bark that he barks when people are around that aren’t supposed to, so we kind of knew that was the deal,” Stephenson said. “I looked out the window and we saw a guy kind of rummaging around out back with a flashlight.”
Stephenson walked outside his home in the 300 block of North Rutan, and saw a man walking suspiciously around his home.
“I was freaked out. I saw a guy running with a backpack, with a flashlight that was small and that was black and round,” said Stephenson’s seven-year-old son Parker.
Stephenson came close to the man, who ran from his backyard into the street. Instead of confronting the suspect, he called police.
Wichita Police said Stephenson’s tip helped lead to the arrest of a man just a couple of blocks away. That man is suspected of breaking into at least six cars in the neighborhood, like Jessica Long’s.
‘I walked out of my front door to find my blanket lying on the sidewalk over there and then when I looked at my car, my passenger window was bashed in,” she said.
Long has been a victim of theft before and said the process can be quite devastating.
When she went to the police station, she learned that Stephenson and his great dane Marley helped lead to the arrest.
“Our amazing neighbors dog actually stopped the guy,” she said. “It made it to where the cops could catch him and we could get our stuff back.”
Long said she was able to get back her purse and other personal items. However, she will have to replace the window that was busted and potentially pay more for other damages to her vehicle. She expects it will cost her $150.
Despite those costs, Long said she’s grateful for her alert neighbors.
Stephenson said he’s grateful for people like her and especially his dog, who ended up saving the day.
“We all have families on this block and every one of our family members mean quite a bit to us,” he said.