By Bill Lindelof and Chelsea Phua
A suspected burglar who jumped in the American River to evade capture was arrested Monday.
The suspect, who deputies identified as 54-year-old Daniel Duncan, was booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of burglary.
About 10 a.m. Monday, Phil Vanderloo returned home from a morning jog at his house in the 4100 block of Main Street in Fair Oaks and found a burglar inside, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman.
The burglar took off on foot, and Vanderloo, 51, followed him in his vehicle.
The suspect reportedly ran across the old Fair Oaks bridge and got in the river. Vanderloo told authorities that he watched him float downstream and called law enforcement.
"He went under and then popped back up," said Christian Pebbles, a Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District spokesman. "He made it to the north shore, and we ended up picking him up in the boat with the sheriff's department and bringing him over to the other side of the river."
Duncan was taken to Mercy San Juan Hospital for treatment of abrasions from making his way down the cliff to the river and for possible hypothermia from the cold water.
Vanderloo said he recovered his backpack and a leather-bound day planner, which has been ruined by the water. A neighbor walking his dog called Vanderloo after watching the news reports and told him that he found Vanderloo's calculator by the river bank, still intact. Other items that the burglar reportedly took were a wallet with $16, credit cards and a new digital camera. Divers were unable to find those items.
Duncan is being held on $120,000 bail and is scheduled to be in court on Wednesday, according to jail records.
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