Advisory
Thefts from Unlocked Vehicles Over the Weekend - Arrest Made, & What YOU Can Do to Help SMPD!
Thefts from Unlocked Vehicles Over the Weekend - Arrest Made, & What YOU Can Do to Help SMPD! 
Warm Weather Approaches - Thefts from Unlocked Vehicles Heat Up -
Arrest Made Thanks to Community Support & Safety Tips
The temperature in San Mateo is expected to rise this week as we move into the summertime. Warm weather at night provides a suitable environment for opportunistic crime like thefts from unlocked vehicles. What follows are some details of an emerging crime trend, what you can do to make the environment UN-friendly to these bandits, and an arrest already made this week on an opportunistic thief thanks to YOU!
This past weekend, several thefts from unlocked vehicles were reported in the Village Area of San Mateo. During the overnight hours form Saturday night 6/27 to early Sunday morning6/28, at least nine vehicles had items stolen from inside. Although three of these vehicles were reported to be locked, there was no sign of forced entry to any of the vehicles. Most of the items taken were either coins from the center console or small items from the glove boxes of these vehicles.
Nearby and just after the reported crimes in the Village Area, an alert resident in the 500 block of 29th Avenue reported a stranger inside the vehicle of a resident on that block. SMPD quickly flooded the area, and were able to locate 24 year-old San Mateo resident Siaosi Henisolo Pahulu hiding on the block. Investigation quickly linked Pahulu to 3 thefts from unlocked vehicles in the area. He was ultimately arrested and booked into San Mateo County Jail for Theft, Possession of Stolen Property, and Providing False Identity to Police.
SMPD is following up to determine if the thefts in the Village are related to this same suspect. In addition, investigators are looking at neighborhood video to see if there are any additional investigative leads.
We bring you this information in order to provide you with timely safety tips:
ALWAYS lock your vehicles (and secure your residences, for that matter) - most thefts are crimes of opportunity. Leaving unsecured doors and windows that could easily be locked provides an UNNECESSARY opportunity to criminals.
DO NOT leave valuables in plain view in your vehicles. If there is anything that will motivate a criminal to smash your vehicle's window, it is the ASSURANCE of seeing valuables in plain view that they can easily obtain.
STOW YOUR VALUABLES OUT OF SIGHT!
HELP SMPD!
Remember, if you see something, say something - call SMPD if you see or hear suspicious or criminal activity in your neighborhood. If the activity is in progress DO NOT HESITATE to call us via 911.
Neighborhood security video could help us solve these and other cases. If you have security video that faces out into your neighborhood - REGISTER WITH US! For more about SMPD's Neighborhood Eyes Security Team - NEST - click this link:www.cityofsanmateo.org/NEST
MEDIA NOTES:
Media Point of Contact for this release will be Detective Sergeant Matt Lethin who can be reached via email at [email protected]
SMPD does not have available booking photos – for booking photos, please contact the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office at[email protected] For follow-up questions regarding this incident after the suspects’ arraignment, please contact the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office.
Address/Location
San Mateo, CA Police Department
200 Franklin Pkwy
San Mateo, CA 94403
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 650-522-7700
TEXT-A-TIP - Text TIP SANMATEOPD followed by your message, to 888777
