Top 5 Auto Thieves in Fresno

The good news is that auto thefts have been cut in half since last year. The bad news is a handful of criminals are still actively stealing cars.

Fresno police say five suspects are responsible for the majority of the recent auto thefts in Fresno. Police call them “The Top Five.”

Between them, they've been arrested dozens of times for auto theft and related crimes.

While police say they are making progress on cracking down on car thefts, they also say they can't do it alone.

One area thing they say crooks are looking for in the cold winter months are unoccupied cars running to warm them up early in the morning.

Lt. Burke Farrah with the Fresno Police Department said, “We know  that some of these guys will ride in a car with an accomplice and drive through the neighborhood looking for your car that’s warming up and when they find it, they’re in it and gone. So we could really use the public’s help. Please do not warm up your car and leave it unattended.”

Police say at one point last year there were up to 20 stolen cars per day in Fresno but that number is now down to 10 stolen cars per day.