Man Arrested In 24 Hour Fitness Burglaries

A man accused of burglarizing locker rooms at 24 Hour Fitness centers in Pasadena has been arrested, police said Thursday.

Anthony Esparza, 31, of Pasadena, is being held on suspicion of burglarizing lockers at 24 Hour Fitness centers on South Lake Avenue and East Colorado Boulevard, said Pasadena Police Department Lt. Chris Russ in a telephone interview.

The first burglary happened June 2 at the South Lake Avenue location, in which wallets and other items were stolen out of other men’s lockers, Russ said. The credit cards from the burglary were almost immediately used at Target and Quiznos in Pasadena, Russ said.

A PPD officer went to look at the surveillance videos from both transactions, but was unable to locate the suspect.

On Wednesday, another burglary happened at the 24 Hour Fitness location at East Colorado Boulevard, Russ said. The officer who responded to the scene saw Esparza in the men’s locker room and recognized him as the man who allegedly used stolen credit cards from the June 2 robbery, Russ said.

A search revealed that Esparza possessed stolen wallets and cell phones, Russ said. Police then obtained and executed a search warrant on the suspect’s home and found more goods likely stolen from fitness center locker rooms, Russ said.