They didn’t have chains, so now they’re wearing them.

Following separate crimes in Abbotsford, two men were arrested Tuesday morning when their getaway vehicles became stuck in snow.

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Abbotsford police spokesman Const. Ian MacDonald said that after a residential break and enter around 5 a.m., the suspect’s van became stuck in snow near a popular, central fast-food restaurant. The suspect then asked a passerby for help.

“The person he asks is the victim of the break and enter,” MacDonald said. “Yup.”

Of the 140,000 people in Abbotsford the suspect could have asked for assistance, it was the victim of his crime, who had just finished reviewing security footage of the incident.

The victim instantly recognized the driver and phoned police. Officers arrived promptly and arrested the suspect who was “quite well known to police,” MacDonald said.

In a second incident around 7:15 a.m., a suspect came across a Ford Focus idling to warm up, entered it and drove away.

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About a block away, the car became stuck in snow.

“For some unforeseen reason, the thief is determined to incriminate himself by taking documents from the car – as well as the keys – abandoning the car and running,” MacDonald said.

When officers arrived with a K9 unit, they spotted the panicked suspect running away from the scene, with the car’s keys and owner’s documents in hand.

“He’s made our job a little bit easier because he actually has the incriminating evidence on his person,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said he has limited information about the suspects but said both are in their 30s and are currently being processed.

“The only silver lining to this weather out here is it does tend to dampen criminal behaviour, because it’s pretty easy to follow footprints in the snow, right?” he said.