A 16-year-old boy admitted to Bethlehem police that he has stolen from between 40 to 50 parked cars in the city between mid-May and July 12, the day he was caught, according to a post on the department’s blog.

The teen, who was not identified, told detectives that every one of the thefts was to a car that had been left unlocked, making the thefts silent and easy, according to the post, which offered a piece of common-sense advice to city residents:

“Please remember to lock your vehicle when parked and not to leave expensive items in your vehicle."

Among the items the teen netted in his stealing spree were GPS units, GPS mounts, an iPod, a Nikon camera and lots and lots of loose change.

He was arrested when he tried to sell a stolen GPS unit on Craig’s List, the blog says.

The thefts took place in a variety of neighborhoods, including Center City, the Moravian College area and SouthSide.

The teen told police that on one occasion, he was caught by a victim who demanded his property back, yelled at him and then let him go.

More advice from the police:

“If you caught anyone in your vehicle stealing anything, CALL THE POLICE. The person you catch is not doing it only one time. Yelling at the person and letting him go does nothing to prevent further crimes. In this case, the juvenile indicated that he was surprised the adult let him go. The juvenile indicated that he simply continued committing thefts from more vehicles that date.”

The boy has been charged with 14 counts of theft from motor vehicles, criminal attempt at theft from motor vehicles and receiving stolen property. His case is being handled through the Northampton County Juvenile Court.

Police believe that many of the thefts made by the teen-ager went unreported. If you believe that you were victimized and/or you can identify the missing property, call Det. Brad Jones at 610-865-7146.