NIAGARA FALLS—An alert neighbor helped Niagara Falls police catch a man early Thursday who was reportedly ripping copper gutters from St. John de LaSalle Catholic Church, 8469 Buffalo Ave.

Franklin E. Mease, 27, of Pierce Avenue, was charged with third-degree criminal mischief and petit larceny just after midnight following a short chase between nearby apartment complexes.

Police also found Mease had been driving a vehicle around the parking lot with surrendered license plates. Mease denied it was his car, but a key ring he was carrying opened the doors, police said.