Thermal imaging from a drone assisted state and local police departments in arresting Frank Nieves, 29, of Worcester. PHOTO/HPD

The Hopkinton Police Department on Thursday night assisted state and neighboring police departments in arresting a suspect in a Worcester carjacking earlier that evening who hid in a Hopkinton resident’s garage.

Frank Nieves, 29, of Worcester, was arrested late Thursday night and turned over to the Massachusetts State Police for questioning by the Worcester Police Department.

“Luckily, something like this doesn’t happen very often in Hopkinton,” HPD Sgt. Detective Gregg DeBoer told the Independent. “Because of the cooperation among the departments involved and the ability to set up a perimeter, catching the suspect couldn’t have gone any smoother.”

The incident began after an apparent carjacking occurred in Worcester. Massachusetts State Police were looking for a suspect who abandoned the car during a police chase. He reportedly fled on foot on the highway by the Massachusetts Turnpike exchange at Interstate 495.

At approximately 8:30 p.m., HPD received a 911 call from a resident reporting that a male entered a garage without permission and then fled the area.

“From what I understand, he exited the vehicle and fled in the direction of one of the houses close by,” said DeBoer. “A resident heard something in her garage. She was able to open the door from inside the home and spotted a man there. She told him to leave and called 911.”

At this point, DeBoer was called to the scene, both to supervise the investigation and because of his expertise with drone technology. Three HPD officers also headed to the location and assisted Westborough, Southborough and state police officers in creating a perimeter around the area.

“When I arrived, there were 10 cruisers already on the scene,” DeBoer said. “They pretty much covered the whole Saddle Hill Road neighborhood.”

In addition to the HPD drone, the Westborough Police Department supplied a drone. State police contributed three drones and at least two K9s.

“We really got the suspect locked down into a good area on the ground,” added DeBoer. “We established a command post.”

After about two hours, the suspect turned himself in.

“We weren’t relenting,” DeBoer said. “I’d like to think that the drones overhead got him to surrender. I think at that point, there were two drones overhead near him. I think he realized he had nowhere else to go.”

Thermal imaging provided by the drones aided officers in pinpointing Nieves’ location, he added.

The best aspects of a situation like this, he said, were the mutual cooperation among the departments and that the suspect surrendered peacefully.

DeBoer added that the “unsung heroes” in this case were members of the HPD Communications Department staff, who fielded multiple calls from concerned residents Thursday night.

“This was unsettling for a lot of people,” he said. “Officers really saturated the whole neighborhood near Saddle Hill Road and the surrounding side streets. People wondered what the hell was going on.”

Because the main crime allegedly occurred in Worcester and Westborough, DeBoer said the man would be charged for the alleged carjacking, putting that case in the Worcester County court system.

“We’re charging him with breaking and entering of a building at night,” he added. “We just want to interview the homeowner to get further information. We will be going forward with our charges on Monday.”

Nieves likely will appear in Framingham District Court next week to face the Hopkinton charge.