Suspect watched North Bay residence for months before stealing vehicle

Police in North Bay say a southern Ontario man spent three months watching a residence in the city before stealing a victim’s vehicle – and promptly crashing it after speeding away. (North Bay police photo)

Police in North Bay say a southern Ontario man spent three months watching a residence in the city before stealing a victim’s vehicle – and promptly crashing it after speeding away.

The 36-year-old from St. Thomas has been charged with numerous offences, and is accused of breaking into the home, stealing the vehicle and then speeding up the pedestrian pathway on the Kate Pace Way.

But the theft was the culmination of actions by the accused that began in March, police said Tuesday. He has been living in North Bay for several months.

“Between March 2025 and June 2025, the accused attended a North Bay residence on numerous occasions and surveyed the occupant’s behaviour and patterns,” police said in a news release.

Stole keys first, then vehicle

His monitoring of the home allowed him to find out when they were away. He broke into the residence May 31 and stole the keys, returning in the morning of June 1 to steal the vehicle. The suspect and the victim don’t know each other.

“The police were contacted on June 1 at around 10:15 a.m.,” the release said.

“The vehicle was spotted by a North Bay Police Service officer in the area of Fisher Street and Third Avenue East. The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, at which time it fled the area at a high rate of speed. The officer did not pursue the vehicle due to public safety.”

It ended up in the area of First Avenue East, where police say the accused “manoeuvered the vehicle onto the Kate Pace Way and drove down the pedestrian pathway at a high rate of speed, before crashing through a barricade to get back onto the road at Second Avenue East.”

“The accused then drove the damaged vehicle to Hardy Street, where he abandoned it and fled on foot,” police said.

“Police located the accused on Brookes Street and he was arrested. The victim’s vehicle and the barricade on the Kate Pace Way both sustained significant damage. No one was injured during this incident.”

He faces several charges, including criminal harassment, break, enter and theft, vehicle theft, fleeing police, violating probation, dangerous driving, careless driving, driving without a licence, driving while suspended and leaving the scene of a collision.

The accused was held in custody for a bail hearing.