A man sleeping in the camper on his pickup truck was rudely awakened this morning by a thief who stole the truck.

The owner was in the back, unbeknownst to the thief. He called 911 on his cellphone and alerted police, relaying his whereabouts to dispatchers, said Sonny Jackson, a Denver Police Department spokesman.

The theft unfolded this morning at about 2 a.m. when the 1993 Ford pickup, with the keys in the ignition in the unlocked cab, was stolen near East Center Avenue and South Gilpin Street near Washington Park, Jackson said.

“It’s kind of unusual — he was in the back when he suddenly noticed he was moving,” Jackson said of the victim.

As the truck headed north, the owner relayed its whereabouts to police dispatchers, including Adams County sheriff’s deputies.

Police caught up to the stolen truck near West 92nd Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard and Darwin Brown, 42, was arrested.

He is being held at the Denver Jail on suspicion of car theft.

Police also found about an ounce of marijuana in a backpack in the cab, which they suspect belonged to Brown.

The truck was handed over to the owner, who was not hurt other than losing a bit of sleep.

Kieran Nicholson: 303-954-1822 or knicholson@denverpost.com.