Suspects Arrested for Thefts from Vehicles
Contact: Captain Tracy Avelar, (650) 286-3300, tavelar@fostercity.org
On February 1, 2017 around 2:30 AM, FCPD received a call of two subjects possibly looking into cars on Meridian Bay Lane. Both subjects fled the area on foot as officers arrived. The officers located one of the suspects, a 14-year-old male juvenile from Foster City, in the Spinnaker Cove complex. The suspect admitted to committing thefts from unlocked vehicles in the area. The suspect was found to be in possession of property stolen from vehicles in the adjoining parking lot, as well as property from another Foster City theft from an auto in January 2017. The officers developed leads that identified the second suspect as a 16-year-old male juvenile from San Mateo. The next day, San Mateo Police Department located the second suspect driving a stolen vehicle (stolen in Foster City last month). FCPD Detectives responded to the scene and identified property in the vehicle that was stolen from at least two Foster City thefts from vehicles in January 2017. The suspect admitted to stealing the vehicle as well as numerous thefts from unlocked vehicles in Foster City. So far, the two juvenile suspects have been linked to 32 thefts from unlocked vehicles in Foster City during January 2017.
In this case as well as most auto thefts and burglaries, the suspects were looking for easy targets. The Foster City Police Department reminds all our residents it is easy to avoid being a victim by taking a few simple steps. The first is to lock your car, regardless of whether it is parked in a public parking lot, carport or your driveway. The second is to avoid storing valuables in your vehicle, especially in view of passersby. In most cases, thefts from cars are a crime of opportunity. Suspects walk areas with high concentrations of vehicles, first checking for those that are unlocked and then for those with visible items of value. The most sought after items continue to be purses, laptop computers, GPS devices, and cash/coins. Owners can easily store these items out of sight, or better yet, remove them from the vehicle entirely.
The Police Department works diligently to patrol our streets and provide a visible deterrent to criminals, but crime prevention is a community effort. Residents are urged to use these simple crime prevention strategies and to report suspicious people and situations immediately, which the witness did in this particular case. When making these reports, the description of the person and/or vehicle is very important. Together we can continue to keep Foster City one of the safest communities to live, work and play.
