After prolonged efforts a serial burglar operating in Jerusalem's Bayit Vegan neighborhood and its environs was caught thanks to residents' resourcefulness.
Last Shabbos afternoon a neighborhood resident noticed a suspicious character roaming among the storerooms in one of the buildings. In response to an inquiry the man explained that he was looking for a family living on Rechov Meshulam Roth. The resident gave him directions to the street, but because of his suspicious conduct, the resident followed him carefully and saw that he turned toward a different street, where he stepped into a prestigious apartment building and remained for several minutes.
The observer summoned nearby residents to the stairway and a message was sent to the "Shabbos goy" to call the police. The police were slow in coming, but in the meantime neighborhood residents trapped the thief in the stairway of the building. His bag was found to contain equipment used for breaking and entering as well as means to conceal fingerprints.
At one point the thief threatened the residents with a knife he drew from his pocket. A large gathering formed and only after a long time did the police arrive to arrest the thief. The police officer in the car told residents the thief was known to police for numerous past violations, but they had been unable to arrest him because they could not catch him in the act. Now that he had threatened people with a knife he was subject to arrest. After Shabbos a police complaint was filed in order to encourage the police to address thefts and other crimes in the city.
