Westgate Avenue resident Rick Smith witnessed the theft of a leaf blower during the early afternoon of May 25. He saw two men in a gold, four-door Saturn pull up to his neighbor's home, walk over to the gardener's truck, grabbed the leaf blower and take off.

At the time Smith was backing into his driveway and the gardener was mowing his neighbor's rear lawn.

Smith had seen the car cruising through the neighborhood before and knew the vehicle did not belong to one of his neighbors. He was immediately suspicious when he saw the men pull up to the curb.

Smith describes the men as in their 20s with short hair and facial hair.

Smith's wife, Michelle, called it a brazen act.

However, Rick Smith said the gardener was not surprised and explained there was a black market for lawn equipment.

On April 25, Roycott Way resident Joseph Younse reported a similar occurrence. That morning, Younse said he saw a white, commercial van pull into a neighbor's driveway. A gardener was mowing the rear lawn and had left a leaf blower in front.

A man got out of the van and picked up the leaf blower, walking quickly back to the van. Younse reacted immediately.

"What the hell are you doing?" Younse yelled at the man, running into the street in his pajamas. "You can't take that."

The man dropped the leaf blower and took off. Younse told the gardener about the man. "He was so thankful," Younse said. "He said those things cost $600."

A few days later, Younse received potted orchids from the gardener. Younse also reported the incident to the police.

Four days earlier, Hamilton Avenue resident Chris Helt suffered a more severe loss. Helt runs Chris' Yard Service and does light landscaping and maintenance for several Willow Glen families and businesses.

When he woke on the morning of April 21, he found the door to his trailer open. Helt keeps his lawn equipment in the trailer, including a leaf blower, chainsaw, mower and hedge clippers. Everything was stolen. The equipment was valued at approximately $4,000.

"This really hurt me when they stole this stuff," Helt said. He filed a police report, but the stolen items have not been found . Helt had to replace his basic equipment to continue his work.

"It's happened to everyone who's in this type of business," Helt said. People keen on stealing lawn equipment follow and watch gardeners and landscapers, waiting for an opportunity, he said. Last year, Helt's hedge clippers were stolen when he left his trailer for a moment.

Younse recommends neighbors watch out for each other and encourages gardeners to keep their equipment close or locked up.