LAWRENCE — An off-duty police sergeant thwarted a robbery on Wesley Street on Friday afternoon, after witnessing two teenagers exiting a house with a pillowcase full of valuables, according to police.

Sgt. Joseph "Jay" Cerullo was driving through Prospect Hill at 1 p.m. when he noticed a suspicious male standing in the basement doorway of 85 Wesley St.

Cerullo knew the tenant of the house and could tell the man was not supposed to be there. When another teen — whom he recognized from a past arrest — came out of the basement carrying a sack, Cerullo took action.

He called for backup and was able to stop one of the suspects, who was carrying a Playstation 2 and jewelry.

The second suspect fled but came back later.

"A guy off duty, on his way home, saw something that didn't look right," Lawrence police Chief John Romero said. "He stopped to find out what was going on. He used his instincts. It's a great story."

Wilbert Munoz, 18, of 49 Eutaw St., and Tawon Jamal Hester, 18, of 48 Stearns Ave., face breaking-and-entering charges and are being looked at for other break-ins.

Police say Hester was carrying the pillowcase over his shoulder. Cerullo was able to stop him while Munoz fled on foot.

But Munoz came back after Cerullo had Hester call him and convince him to turn himself in.

Police found a Playstation 2, a viewing screen and a carton of Newport cigarettes in the pillowcase. They took six gold rings and other jewelry, two cell phones and money from Hester's pockets.

Officers also observed a sheet covering a safe by the street.

"We had the woman do an inventory, and she was crying because she still couldn't find one of her rings," Romero said. "It wasn't on the suspects."

The victim, with the help of officers, did end up finding her diamond-encrusted wedding ring under a rock farther down the street in the direction Munoz had fled.

She was at work when the burglars struck. Police say the basement door appeared to be left unlocked, providing a point of entry for the teenagers.

The neighborhood has been hit by burglars frequently.

"It's a significant arrest," Romero said. "That neighborhood has experienced a string of burglaries. We're now looking to see if they're connected to other breaks."