Reynaldo Gomez, 48, is suspected in a string of break-ins in which the thief smashed the windows of cars in gym parking lots, police said.
During the burglaries, the thief generally took purses, bags, and small electronics from the cars, police said.
Police said they tied Gomez to burglaries in Palo Alto, Campbell, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and San Ramon after he used a stolen credit card at Costco that belonged to a victim in a Palo Alto burglary.
Investigators used the information from Gomez's Costco card to find and arrest him outside a San Jose courthouse on Thursday, where he was scheduled to appear for another matter.
When police performed a probation search of Gomez's residence, they found a wealth of stolen property that linked Gomez to the burglaries, police said.
Police are still investigating the case and believe there may be additional victims.
Gomez was booked into the Santa Clara County Main Jail for burglary and possession of stolen property, police said.
