The Resident
News
Police report spate of home burglaries around Almaden Valley neighborhoods
ByStephen Baxter
When San Jose police arrested three suspected home burglars in early August, the relief didn't last long for some Almaden Valley residents jolted by recent home and car burglaries.
A day after the Aug. 4 arrests, another pair of homes was burglarized on the 1300 block of Redmond Avenue and the 1500 block of Coleman Road. Word traveled fast online.
"Even though we made the arrest, we know that's not the only group," said police spokesman Jose Garcia on Aug. 11. "It's very common for these crimes to occur, but with the Internet there's more of an awareness."
Police arrested three suspects linked to 15 home burglaries since February on the 6400 block of Almaden Road and other areas of Almaden Valley. The men's names have not been released because of the investigation, but they are San Jose residents age 19, 20 and 21.
Other San Jose neighborhoods also have been targeted, and police say thieves are typically mobile.
John Maloblocki's home on Queenswood Way was ransacked on Aug. 3 when thieves kicked open a decorative panel by the front door.
No one was home when they burst in sometime between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., and they helped themselves to an XBox, a 150-pound safe and his wife's jewelry. The safe was later found dumped on a lawn near Valley Christian High School, with passports and jewelry missing.
"I'm just glad my wife and children weren't there," Maloblocki said of the burglary.
"It's troubling that they were as brazen as they were to break in in broad daylight. It just goes to show that people need to be aware and report things when they aren't right," Maloblocki said.
In June, at least six car burglaries were reported near Mary Cannon's home on Zinfandel Way, and she heard about a string of home break-ins in the Montevideo neighborhood near Coleman Road and Camden Avenue.
Most of the burglaries have occurred between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. while homeowners are at work.
The break-ins prompted Cannon to send group e-mails to the Neighborhood Watch group she helped establish in 2007, and she has been urging neighbors to call 911 if they see suspicious activity.
"It's disconcerting to know that people are lurking around your neighborhood," said Cannon, who grew up in the Almaden Valley. "It just reminded us to be a little more cautious."
Police said burglars in South San Jose often knock on doors midday and peek inside to see if a home alarm is activated. If the green light is showing rather than a red activation light, police said it's like a green light to come in.
If someone answers a knock, the prospective thieves might pose as salesmen or say they are looking for a lost dog. Then they come inside and scope out a home's belongings and return through a sliding back door or a cracked window out of view of the street, police spokesman Garcia said.
It can take as little as 10 to 15 minutes to ransack jewelry, cash, video game systems and other valuables.
Police said the Almaden burglary cases since February probably have been committed by a range of thieves, from bored teenagers who have splattered eggs around homes to career criminals who case neighborhoods and look for patterns of when people are gone.
Locking all doors and windows and activating an alarm can prevent thefts, police said, as well as keeping valuables out of sight. Police and Neighborhood Watch participants also recommend forming stronger ties with neighbors--especially those who work from home and can keep an eye on unoccupied houses.
In the summer, Garcia said, "a lot of residents will let their guard down."
Anyone with information on recent burglaries is asked to call San Jose police at 408.277.4401 or leave an anonymous tip at 408.947.7867.