Three people were arrested Tuesday afternoon after allegedly stealing a safe and hiding it behind a garage under leaves and sticks.

Austin police responded to a report that a burglary had just been committed at a home on the 700 block of Ninth Street Southeast around 1 p.m., according to Police Chief Brian Krueger.

Police spoke with neighbors, who said they believed three juveniles were involved and had fled west on Seventh Avenue.

Shortly after, Mower County sheriff’s deputies spotted three males crawling over rocks below the Roosevelt Bridge, which spans the Cedar River on Fourth Street Southeast.

Deputies arrested a 20-year-old man at the bridge, but two minors — a 17-year-old male and a 15-year-old male — fled and were eventually apprehended at the corner of First Street and Third Avenue Southwest.

Officers then located a gray safe taken from the home which was hidden behind a garage and covered with leaves and branches. It has been taken for evidence.

The minors were taken to Many Rivers Juvenile Detention Center in Rochester, and the adult was taken to the Mower County jail. All three were cited for second-degree burglary, though formal charges are pending with the Mower County Attorney’s office.