Aaron Goode, 33, was taken into custody at a Motel 6 at 2389 N. Main St. at about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The car theft occurred shortly after 7 a.m. Monday when a man left his key in the ignition when he went into a McDonald's restaurant at 1380 N. California Blvd. for a few minutes. When he returned to the lot he saw his Hyundai Sonata being driven away, police said.
The man told police there was valuable San Francisco Giants baseball memorabilia in the car, including bats and balls autographed by former Giants player Willie McCovey. In the trunk, the man had a commercial kitchen mixer, according to police.
On Wednesday morning, the stolen car was found in Concord.
That evening, police tracked down Goode after receiving calls from tipsters who had seen a surveillance image of the thief that was released to the public.
Goode was taken into custody without incident, police said. Many of the stolen items were recovered, but investigators are still searching for some of the items from the car.
