Police Seek Thief Responsible For Breaking Into Cars In San Mateo

San Mateo Police continues to look for a thief who harmed about a dozen cars near the Laurelwood Shopping Center on West Hillsdale Boulevard in the early morning hours on Sunday.

Witnesses called cops after hearing cars getting broken into.

“What we saw with this particular suspect is that he was walking around with a flashlight looking into every single car, so he’s attempting door handles. If the car was locked, he’d break the window,” stated San Mateo Police spokesperson Michael Haobsh.

Police say among the stolen objects were a wallet, sunglasses, cash and credit cards.

“It’s a nice community, I wouldn’t think that that would be happening, but it’s kind of happening everywhere,” stated Sharon Fernald of San Mateo.

San Mateo Police are prompting residents to not leave any valuables in their vehicles. The thief burglarized cars no matter locked or unlocked.

“I grew up in Burlingame, not very far from here, and it used to be really safe. We did kind of the same thing, left your front door unlocked, left the car unlocked sometimes,” said Fernald. “But I think now in this time period, 2019, people are locking their cars.”

Police are now depending on more video surveillance from homeowners and are prompting homeowners to invest in cameras that face the street. It may eventually help them crack a case.