SPRINGFIELD -- Officer Daniel Quigley, off-duty and several miles into his daily five-mile run tthrough the East Forest Park neighborhood early Monday afternoon, broke his stride after he spotted a man allegedly attempting to break into a Gifford Street home.



Quigley, who patrols the same neighborhood on the 4 p.m. to midnight shift, went to a nearby property and kept the suspect in sight while he called 911 on his cell phone, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.



The suspect, realizing that he had been spotted, started to run.

"Big mistake," said Delaney, adding that Quigley runs and bikes every day. "Even though the off-duty officer already ran several miles he still had enough gas in the tank to chase down the criminal and tackled him on Hudson Street."



Quigley used his cell phone to give his position to dispatchers and officers soon came to his aid, said Delaney, aide to Commissioner Willliam Fitchet.



The suspect, Jesse Sands, 25, of 14 Taber St., had allegedly used a knife to cut a hole Gifford Street homes window screen and had forced open the window when Quigley ran by.



Sands was charged with breaking and entering in the daytime for a felony, attempted breaking and entering in the daytime for felony and possession of burglarious tools.



Delaney said Quigley was aware there had been a slight uptick in residential break-ins in the neighborhood and detectives are working to see if the suspect can be linked to any of the others.

Information about Sands's arraignment, expected today in District Court, was not immediately available.