Bentley Ridge Drive, near the Silver Creek Country Club, was recently in the headlines because of some San Francisco 49ers players. This is where Ray McDonald lives and where Aldon Smith was arrested for driving drunk. But now the buzz is about burglaries.
Residents tell NBC Bay Area they are beyond frustrated with all the crime in the neighborhood. They say the last year has been defined by bad news and crime.
The neighborhood sits atop the evergreen hills, where the flowers seem to bloom year-round. But, over the last year, neighbors say Bentley Ridge Drive has become a target for crooks.
“This house has been hit. This house has been hit. That house has been hit,” neighborhood resident Shanna Pacheco told NBC Bay Area, pointing out each home that’s been burglarized recently.
Police even investigated a burglary at McDonald's home last month.
The latest burglary took place Tuesday night. Surveillance footage shows the two suspects who police say burglarized a home on Bentley Ridge Drive.
“It makes you mad because you can’t have the safety in your own home,” said Sukanya Nalamasu, a neighbor. “It’s really scary.”
Opinions are mixed, but most neighbors NBC Bay Area spoke with don’t think the publicity surrounding Smith’s DUI arrest or McDonald’s domestic violence arrest, both on Bentley Ridge Drive, have anything to do with the rise in burglaries.
Instead, they blame a shorthanded San Jose Police force.
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Some neighbors say they want to hire private security to patrol Bentley Ridge. Others are focused on another kind of protection.
At the Pacheco home, an image of a pistol adorns the front door. “We are protected in our home and wouldn’t want to use force,” Pacheco said. “But we need to protect our family.”
Police were not able to make any arrests in Tuesday night’s burglary.
San Jose police say neighborhood residents should expect to see more patrol cars in the area.
