A recent string of car break-ins along Kelly Drive has prompted police to remind the public that leaving GPS systems or other valuables in clear sight is an invitation to burglars.

A 19-year-old man was arrested last weekend and charged with theft after plainclothes officers caught him breaking a car window near Lemon Hill Drive, where runners and rowers park their cars in the morning.

Police believe the man, Malik Coyett, had been regularly driving from his home in West Philadelphia to the area, parking, and then going from car to car. Coyett searched for GPS systems and laptops, and even checked the wheel wells for car keys hidden inside, police said.

Plainclothes detectives from the Ninth Police District began staking out the area after at least eight car break-ins were reported near Lemon Hill last month. The thefts all took place in the early morning, said Police District Capt. Dennis Wilson.

"This was a pretty tight pattern," Wilson said. "Right as it got light, people would park their cars and leave, and that's when this guy would move in."

Two plainclothes officers hid in the bushes near the area for several mornings. Last Saturday, they watched Coyett drive up around 8:30 a.m., park with the other cars, and scan the area for passersby and traffic.

As the officers watched, Wilson said, Coyett went from car to car, peeking into windows until he saw a portable GPS system in a Volvo. After he broke the window, officers arrested him on charges of theft, marijuana possession, and related charges.

Coyett, like many arrested on misdemeanors, was released within 24 hours pending a future court appearance. He is one of many who target car owners who leave possessions in plain sight, especially in Center City and surrounding neighborhoods, Wilson said.

Last month 23 GPS systems and six laptops were reported stolen from cars in the Ninth District alone, and that's an 18 percent drop over this time last year.

To deter car break-ins and other thefts, officers in the Ninth and in other districts use plainclothes detectives in areas where break-ins are occurring, and they sometimes plant decoy cars with laptops and other valuables inside.

Contact staff writer Allison Steele at 215-854-2641 or asteele@phillynews.com.