Man quickly reunited with stolen truck in Santa Cruz

A man in Santa Cruz was quickly reunited with his stolen truck after officers found the truck an hour after it was reported missing.

According to police, an officer learned a truck had been stolen from Pacific Avenue Tuesday morning. About an hour later, the officer spotted the stolen Toyota 4Runner on River Street. The officer pulled the driver over and the driver along with two people in the truck were detained.

The driver, 42-year-old Phillip Penn, was arrested for auto theft.

Police said Penn is a homeless man in the area. Video surveillance later confirmed that he stole the truck. Evidence showed that the steering column was damaged to employ a hot-wire technique to start the engine.

Auto theft is on the rise, but the Santa Cruz Police Department has recovered 35 stolen cars in the last 30 days.

Police encourage you to report criminal activity to the department if you see something suspicious.