San Jose: Police arrest Gilroy man in rash of vehicle burglaries

SAN JOSE — Police announced they have identified and arrested a suspect in more than 100 vehicle burglaries that took place over a two-day period at four separate multi-family housing complexes in and around North San Jose.

The suspect is a 23-year-old Gilroy man who already was in custody in the Santa Clara County Main Jail, being held on unrelated charges, police said in a news release Friday. He has since been arrested in the vehicle burglary cases.

On Nov. 8 and Nov. 9, San Jose police responded to a total of 114 reports of vehicle burglaries that occurred at apartment complexes in the 300 block of Cres Village Circle, the 3400 block of Iron Point Drive, the 3700 block of Casa Verde Street and the 100 block of Baypointe Parkway, the news release said.

The preliminary investigation revealed that a man had entered the parking garages at the complexes and broke into the vehicles, fleeing the area before police arrived, the news release said. Burglary unit detectives launched an extensive investigation and identified the suspect, who already was in custody, and arrested him. They executed a search warrant at his Gilroy home and found evidence of the burglaries.

In a joint statement, San Jose Police Chief Paul Joseph, Mayor Matt Mahan and City Jennifer Maguire praised the coordinated efforts of patrol officers, burglary unit detectives and the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office in identifying the person they say “terrorized” more than 100 victims.

“San José is the safest big city in the nation for a reason — if you come to our city to commit a crime, you will be caught and pay the consequences,” Mahan said.