Residential burglars in Saratoga steal more than $300,000 in jewelry, tools

Identity thieves make off with $77,000 in two separate incidents in city.

Feb. 13

Residential burglary: Between 5:15 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., someone entered a residence in the 19000 block of Spring Brook Lane by breaking a glass door at the back of the house. The suspect(s) took a safe containing assorted jewelry and personal items for a total loss of $295,000.

Feb. 14

Grand theft: Sometime between Dec. 18, 2023, and Jan. 14, a catalytic converter was stolen from a vehicle parked in the 13000 block of Regan Lane for a total loss of about $4,000.

Feb. 15

Identity theft: Between Jan. 31 and Feb. 15, a Saratoga resident mistakenly placed two cashier’s checks in an outgoing mailbox. Upon realizing the mistake and trying to cancel the cashiers’ checks, the victim was advised they had already been cashed, for a total loss of $7,000.

Feb. 17

Non-injury hit and run, DUI, evading a peace officer: At 12:04 a.m., a driver collided with a patrol car being driven by a sheriff’s deputy at Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and Blauer Drive. The suspect drove away from the collision and evaded deputies until his vehicle became disabled. An investigation revealed the suspect was driving under the influence of alcohol. The suspect was booked into juvenile hall.

Residential burglary: Between 3:30 a.m. on Feb. 16 and 11:45 a.m. on Feb. 17, someone forced entry into a locked storage container, entered an unsecured residence under construction in the 18000 block of Vessing Road and took approximately $15,270 in new residential fixtures and painting tools.

Feb. 18

Possession of narcotics and drug paraphernalia: At 1:33 a.m., deputies were dispatched on a report of a suspicious vehicle in parking lot of the Safeway store on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. An investigation revealed the two suspects associated to the vehicle were in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia, and one of the suspects also had an outstanding warrant. Both suspects were cited and released.

Identity theft: Between 7 a.m. on Feb. 11 and noon on Feb. 17, someone gained access to a Saratoga resident’s banking and trust accounts by hacking the victim’s wireless account information. The suspect fraudulently wired $70,000 from the victim’s account into an unknown account without the victim’s knowledge.