AUBURN - Local police are asking residents to keep a lookout for suspicious activity after a number of vehicles were broken into on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.

The thief or thieves hit five vehicles in three separate incidents in the areas of Lover's Lane, Coleman Drive and Pasture Drive. All of the thefts were reported to police Wednesday morning.

Only change was taken in the first break-in. In the second, sunglasses, an iPad charger, a scanner, an iPod, a sleeping bag and a backpack were taken. More change and a backpack were stolen in the third incident.

Police believe the three crimes are related.

"I think two of them were definitely related," said Capt. Gary Bartis. "It's very likely, given how close they are and the fact that they all occurred on the same night."

Police put out a Nixle alert about the thefts around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday morning asking residents to call police if they recalled seeing any suspicious vehicles in the area. By early afternoon, however, Auburn police had received no tips.

"Nixle is pretty good at that, so my guess is nobody saw anything," said Bartis.

All five cars were unlocked at the time of the thefts. Auburn police are asking residents to make sure they lock their vehicles at night and keep any valuables out of sight.

Residents are asked to report any suspicious activity to the Auburn Police Department at 483-2134.