Police: Kearney car thefts foiled by homeowner, officers, K-9 unit
KEARNEY, Neb. — A suspect is in jail after police say he tried to steal multiple vehicles in Kearney.
A news release says law enforcement initially received a call around noon on Tuesday of a man hiding under cars in the Walmart parking lot. Officers searched but couldn’t find the man.
Police received another call around 1:00 from a residential neighborhood immediately east of Walmart. A homeowner said a man, later identified as 36-year-old Justin Coccorese, entered their house and was attempting to steal their vehicle. The release says the homeowner chased the Coccorese from the house. In an effort to escape, Coccorese attempted to steal a different car for a nearby home but the homeowner intervened and pulled him from the vehicle.
According to the release, Coccorese fled when officers arrived. A K-9 unit tracked him and found him hiding under a tree a few houses away.
Coccorese, who police say is homeless and from the Gibbon area, is in jail on suspicion of robbery, burglary, attempted theft and first-degree trespassing.