Police found a suspect in a truck theft thanks to a person who called police on another matter and happened to be driving right behind the stolen truck, police said.
Police said a 2004 Isuzu box truck was stolen from the Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester around 2 p.m. on Thursday and dispatchers broadcasted a description of the truck and registration plate over the radio to surrounding towns, police said.
At the same time, a resident was calling the South Windsor Police Department about an unrelated matter and overheard the radio transmission in the background, police said.
The caller then told police that he or she happened to be driving behind the stolen truck on Interstate 84 West.
Police then alerted State Police and Hartford Police, who stopped the stolen truck at the intersection of Russ and Lawrence streets in Hartford.
Rafael Rodriguez, 53, of East Hartford, was charged with first-degree larceny for stealing the truck and possession of instruments for using heroin, police said.
He was held on a $75,000 bond and is due in court on Jan. 21.
