LA MESA, Calif. (KGTV) - Neighbors on Mt. Helix say they caught a woman stealing their avocados.

Alan van Antwerp is among the homeowners who say an avocado thief strikes every year in late summer.

This year, van Antwerp installed motion lights. They went off at 5 a.m. last week, and van Antwerp went outside to confront the woman who triggered them.

Van Antwerp said the woman had stripped his avocado tree and had her car's engine running.

He gave the woman's license plate number to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department. He said he doesn't want to press charges.

Almost 100 of van Antwerp's neighbors posted similar avocado thefts on the NextDoor app.