Albert Hernandez Jr., 44, was arrested on suspicion of burglary. Photo: SFPD

Police have arrested a man suspected of burglarizing a string of homes in western San Francisco as well as Daly City and other Peninsula communities.

Albert Hernandez Jr., 44, was arrested March 13 on suspicion of burglaries, including one in the Lakeshore District of San Francisco Dec. 30, 2011. According to police, Hernandez had an armful of property when he was leaving a San Bruno home and was caught after a brief struggle.

Police say Hernandez, who lives in both Oakland and Daly City, is the man they called the “blue bar burglar,” known for the distinctive smudges left when he used a blue pry bar to break into homes. Police say they found a blue pry bar when they arrested him.

San Francisco police worked with the Daly City, San Bruno, South San Francisco, Pacifica and Millbrae police departments on a joint investigation, and Hernandez is in San Mateo County Jail facing a felony burglary charge.

According to a statement from the SFPD Thursday, Hernandez is a “three-strikes parolee” who was on parole at the time of the Lakeshore burglary. Police said he was identified as the prime suspect in the burglaries in part because of his 2005 arrest for a series of Sunset District burglaries targeting homes with tunnel-style entrances.

Hernandez allegedly took mostly small items from homes, including laptop computers and jewelry. Police have posted photographs of recovered property, mostly jewelry, on Flickr. People who think they recognize their property among the photographs can email burglarydetail2012@gmail.com to contact investigators. Emails should include the name of the agency with which the report was filed, a case number, and an image number and description of the property.