A Manhattan Beach family got an unwelcome surprise this month when they realized someone had been quietly living inside their garage. The homeowners had noticed items being stolen from their home and food disappearing from a refrigerator kept in the garage, prompting them to call police, who arrived and arrested a man they found living there.
The Manhattan Beach Police Department posted about the discovery on Facebook on Sunday, framing it as a case of a “surprise guest in the garage” whose habit of raiding the fridge ultimately gave him away. As reported by the New York Post, police did not reveal the suspect's identity, how long he had been staying in the garage, or what charges he now faces. A photo released alongside the department's post showed the suspect with his hands cuffed behind his back.
According to KTLA 5, the resident called 911 after noticing repeated trips were being made to the garage refrigerator over an unspecified stretch of time, which is what finally prompted officers to respond and make the arrest. Beyond confirming the arrest itself, police used the incident to issue a public reminder: keep garage doors locked and stay alert to anything unusual around the property.
What Charges Could Follow
Exactly what the suspect will be charged with remains unclear, and California law offers two very different paths depending on what investigators can prove. Under Penal Code Section 459, entering a residential structure or an attached garage with intent to commit theft counts as first-degree residential burglary, a felony punishable by two, four, or six years in state prison, according to the Law Offices of John D. Rogers. That charge is also classified as a strike under California's Three Strikes law.
If prosecutors cannot establish that intent, the case could instead fall under Penal Code Section 602, which covers criminal trespass — typically a misdemeanor carrying up to six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine, per Eisner Gorin LLP. Which statute applies often hinges on whether prosecutors can show the person intended to steal versus simply took up unauthorized residence.
A Pattern of Garage Break-Ins
This is not the first time an unsecured garage has caused trouble for Manhattan Beach residents. Hoodline reported that in an unlocked garage break-in last August, a masked intruder stole a 2025 Genesis after slipping through an unlocked garage door, prompting a similar police advisory at the time. And in March, Manhattan Beach police arrested two suspects following a residential burglary, recovering a stash of stolen items that included a firearm and jewelry.
Property crime remains a steady presence in the city's weekly police logs. During the week of April 2 through 8, the Manhattan Beach Police Department responded to 866 calls for service and made nine arrests, with thefts and auto thefts leading the property crime tally, according to Easy Reader & Peninsula Magazine. Former Manhattan Beach mayor Suzanne Hadley also went public in February about a burglary attempt at her Tree Section home, telling MB News that intruders had cased her property and broken an upstairs window before fleeing as police sirens approached.
How the City Handles Unhoused Encounters
Not every person found on private property is treated as a criminal suspect, and Manhattan Beach maintains a separate process for that. The city runs a dedicated homeless outreach protocol in partnership with the South Bay Cities Council of Governments and Harbor Interfaith Services, and it advises residents to call non-emergency police dispatch for non-urgent unhoused checks or 911 only for immediate safety concerns.
Regional coordination between coastal South Bay departments has come up in other recent cases as well. In June, neighboring Hermosa Beach police, with support from Manhattan Beach officers, arrested a residential burglary suspect who had broken into an occupied home while two young children slept upstairs, according to CBS News. No charges have yet been announced in this latest garage case, and police have not said how long the man had been staying there before he was found.
