2 women accused of stealing up to 20 cars in Hayward auto theft spree

HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- Two women are accused of going on a car-stealing spree in Hayward that could amount to as many as 20 stolen vehicles.

The two women were spotted acting a little suspicious in the Fairway Park Shopping Center parking lot. They were also spotted at a nearby park before police tracked them to a neighborhood, not far away, and caught them red-handed.

William East-McCormack saw police arresting his neighbor 25-year-old Jessica Adkins in front of her home in Hayward. Her 33-year-old friend Erin Ellis of Alameda was also arrested after police found two stolen cars in the driveway. Another stolen car was on the street.

"That's alarming," East-McCormack said. "That's crazy, especially to know that it came from my neighborhood."

Police say evidence in the stolen cars could uncover a larger operation.

"More than 20 stolen vehicles could be linked to these two suspects," said Hayward police Sgt. Tasha DeCosta

An officer first spotted the two women moving items between two cars at Stoney Brook Park in Hayward. They sped away leaving behind one stolen car.

"It's not every day that you have two women together who are stealing cars," DeCosta said.

The next day, police say they were seen at the Jack-In-The-Box on Mission Boulevard doing the same thing. They sped away again, leaving behind another stolen car. Finally, police tracked them back to Adkin's home.

"I don't know if they were stealing them just to get from point A to point B, or if they were stealing them to sell them or sell parts," DeCosta said.

Police say further investigation could uncover a whole lot more.