Roving auto burglars caught on cameras Roving auto burglars caught on cameras
Three people roaming along Middlefield Road at Santa Rita Avenue in Palo Alto attempted to open car doors on the night of March 4, 2022, as captured in this surveillance video. Courtesy Michael Day.
Groups of auto burglars in recent weeks have been roaming residential neighborhoods, including Old Palo Alto, Professorville and Crescent Park, and now, residents whose surveillance cameras have caught the thieves in the act are turning the videos over to the police.
How the groups operate was recently captured on March 4 on video from Old Palo Alto and Professorville. The same three people were seen walking through streets and up residents' driveways, testing car door handles.
Police say the thieves have stolen both small items, such as expensive sunglasses, small electronics and money, as well as the car itself if the owners have left a key or fob in the glovebox.
Old Palo Alto resident Michael Day's surveillance camera documented three people walking down Middlefield Road near Santa Rita Avenue. One of the hooded figures came up his driveway and tried to open the door handle of his car, the video shows.
A second video captured on the same day by a Professorville resident named Winnie, who asked that her last name not be published, showed the three figures also trying to open car doors. In both cases, they were seen checking out BMWs and Mercedes sedans.
