A man accused of stealing thousands of dollars from parking meters is now in police custody.

The NYPD says a 34-year-old Brooklyn resident stole the money, all in quarters, by digging up and hauling away 87 parking meters from sidewalks in Gravesend, Bensonhurst and Sheepshead Bay.

The meters were found in a crawlspace in the mans home.

The big find appears to solve a mystery that has plagued Avenue U for years: parking meters disappearing overnight, and no witnesses nor surveillance video.

The police said that they believethe man stole most of the meters from along Avenue U, McDonald Avenue and Kings Highway. The streets where the meter thefts occurred are commercial stretches where parking areas are in high demand.

McDonald Avenue, under the elevated F train tracks, is lined with warehouses, auto body shops and furniture stores.

The police said he used a truck at night to ram the poles and would cut the tops off with an electric saw. He would then drive away, leaving the pole behind, they said.

(Sources: CBS2 HD / NY Times)