ONLY ON ABC7NEWS.COM: Brazen construction theft caught on camera in Hayward

HAYWARD, Calif. (KGO) -- A brazen theft involving a construction tool in the East Bay is caught on camera and has Hayward police asking for the public's help. It's a story you will only see on ABC7 News.

In video posted to YouTube by user lowGRAVITY, a car stops in the middle of a Hayward street. A passenger gets out of the backseat and steals a cut saw from Sean Woods' construction crew and gets right back into the car.

"I just couldn't believe it. I was like, no way! It's unbelievable!"

In the video, dated April 22, you can hear the disbelief of the driver in the car behind the suspect. There's yelling and beeping and the suspect's vehicle drives away.

Because these tools are industrial strength compared to the consumer models, cut saws like the one stolen from Sean's crew can cost well over a thousand dollars, making them easy targets for thieves.

Cindy Okano, owner of East Bay Lawn Mower across the street from where the theft happened, says she's familiar with these kinds of crimes. Although she's never seen the caught on camera like this before.

"A lot of landscapers have people following them and they steal from them like that," she said.

Woods ran over to Okano's shop after the incident, since East Bay Lawn Mower has been selling chainsaws and cut saws since the 1970's and was hoping someone saw something. Okano didn't see the crime happen but was flabbergasted at seeing the video.

"It was pretty spectacular that someone would stop traffic just to take something out of someone else's truck!" she said.

While Hayward police work on identifying the person in this video and who the car belongs to, Sean plans to keep an eye out too.

"It's part of the game," he said. "It's part of the industry. Just gotta be more careful and lock your tools up."

Hayward police ask if anyone has information on the person seen in this video to come forward.