San Mateo Burglar Caught on Surveillance

Take a look at the photo of the top of the page. According to police the person above is responsible for a string of burglaries in San Mateo.

Law enforcement officers are attempting to locate whoever burglarized half a dozen businesses in downtown San Mateo, police said.

The burglaries occurred within a 1.5-mile radius of each other near the intersection of 25th Avenue and El Camino Real late last Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

Preliminary suspect description is a white or Asian male in his early 20's.

In three of the incidents, someone attempted to enter the businesses but did not steal anything, according to police.

"We do know that much of this was rear door access so whoever this suspect was was looking for access in a place where they couldn’t be seen from the street," Sgt. Dave Norris said.

An alley that gets dark at night runs behind most of the businesses.

"Outside we put the camera up here with motion sensor and lights," business owner Shane Caudle said.

Caudle is getting ready to open a new sandwich shop in the area and said the first thing he thought about was security. .

"That’s the first thing I put in is the alarm system and then once a couple issues happened close to my business, I installed more equipment just to be safe," Caudle said.

Investigators say the pattern of trying to enter the businesses through back entrances and the targeting of cash and portable items show that a single suspect or group is likely behind the crimes.

Police are reviewing surveillance images of one of the suspected burglars and are releasing those photos.

Police are working with merchants on ways to prevent crime.

Business owners are encouraged to secure doors and windows with high-quality locks or burglar-resistant glass, to install lighting and alarm systems.

Detectives said they are sharing information with other agencies and working closely with patrol officers and the crime reduction unit.

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