caught on camera

Seattle Family Targeted in Smash and Grab Robbery in San Francisco

NBC Universal, Inc.

The Andayas were trying to soak in one last bit of vacation in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Wednesday before the long drive back to Seattle when things took a turn for the worse.

“Maybe three or four seconds later I see him taking out luggage on the vehicle side and I’m like ‘wait a minute’ and said ‘hey!’” said Jason Andaya.

A video taken in broad daylight showed Jason chasing  a man trying to get away with his luggage after breaking into their rental car.

Video shows he was able to wrestle away the luggage before the thieves speed off. Thankfully he wasn't hurt.

A smash and grab in broad daylight was caught on video at Golden Gate Park Wednesday. A man reached into a parked van and took off with the owner’s belongings. The owner then chased him, but the suspects were able to get away in a Chevy Impala.

“We do want people to be aware that it’s not smart to leave your luggage if you’re going to go to a tourist attraction,” said Natalie Andaya. “Lesson learned on that one.”

The Andaya's are just the latest smash and grab victims in San Francisco. Coming just weeks after another video showed suspects breaking into a car as a driver was getting onto I-80. 

The man who recorded the Golden Gate Park incident lives in the area and also took a picture of the robber reaching into the car through the broken window.

It’s unfortunately a familiar site in the neighborhood. 

“We knew it right off the bat,” said Forrest Lanning, who recorded the video. “This was actually the second time both me and my wife personally saw something like this happen.”

The Seattle couple called 911, but due to time constraints, weren’t able to stick around to file a police report. They plan to do so in the near future.  

In response to this incident, SFPD encourages the public to always call 911 in these incidents, but to remain as witnesses.

Contact Us