The expensive blue sports  sneakers were the subject of the crime, but police say it was a man’s red underwear that led to his arrest on Long Island.

Police say Mr. Taykim Ross stole $200, electronics and a pair of Air Jordan sneakers from an apartment. He apparently stopped in the backyard with his loot to try on the new kicks. That’s when a neighbor snapped a photo of the suspect with red boxers visible above his sagging jeans.

Hempstead Village, New York Officer Russell Harris says he was returning after a canvass of the neighborhood when he noticed someone taking garbage out. He saw someone bending over with “bright red underwear.”

Turns out, the shorts were an exact color match.

“I just happened to sit in the car for a moment and in my rear view mirror about 500 hundred yards away I see a guy bending over putting garbage bags down and what do I see, low and behold, I see red underwear standing out,” Harris said.

The officer acknowledged that young men in Hempstead are often seen not wearing belts, with their pants hanging low.

“If he would have gone home and put a belt on, I probably wouldn’t have noticed him.”

Harris was arraigned on a burglary charge in district court and was conditionally released to probation. He was represented by a lawyer from Legal Aid, which does not comment on pending cases.