Uber Driver Ransacks Peninsula Home After Airport Dropoff: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — An Uber ride-hailing service driver was arrested Friday with the help of home surveillance footage after he tried to burglarize a house and later managed to ransack another in the same San Mateo neighborhood on Thursday, police said Monday.

Jackie Gordon Wilson, a 38-year-old Rancho Cordova man, is accused of a burglary reported at 5:37 p.m. Thursday at a home in the 1700 block of Nash Drive and an earlier attempted burglary in the 600 block of Rand Street, according to police. Both homes are located within blocks of each other.

Police say the home on Nash Drive "was completely ransacked and multiple items were found to be stolen." The homeowner had a Ring security system installed, though, and posted footage of the suspect online, and community members soon recognized the man.

They learned that the suspect was an Uber driver who had also dropped off residents at an airport from the 600 block of Rand Street, then tried to burglarize the home an hour later, police said.

"The Rand Street Ring security camera showed Wilson attempting to burglarize the very home of his riders an hour after dropping them off at the airport," police said in a news release. "His attempt to burglarize the Rand Street home was thwarted after an alarm sounded and then he was later seen burglarizing the Nash Drive home. Nash Drive and Rand Street are in the same neighborhood and only a few blocks apart."

After "a round-the-clock investigation,"detectives were able to identify the suspect as Wilson and arrested him at a home in Rancho Cordova. During the arrest, he was wearing the same clothes as during the burglary the previous day, police said.

Investigators recovered some items stolen from the Nash Drive home and booked Wilson into San Mateo County Jail on suspicion of burglary, attempted burglary, and resisting arrest.

"This case proves the benefit of a home security system particularly with video," police said. "Law enforcement is solving more crimes thanks to surveillance cameras and license plate reader systems."

Police also shared the following precautions:

• Be mindful where you are picked up and dropped off. For example, if you use rideshare to the airport, the driver will know you won’t be home for several days.
• Double-check your ride share app to ensure the license plate, make, model and color of the car is the actual car assigned to you by the app.

• Take a picture of the license plate and vehicle.
• Do not get into a car or give your name to the driver until you ask, “who are you here for?” If the driver can’t identify your name, do not get in.
• Share your trip details with friends or family. According to Uber, you’re able to tap “Share status” in the mobile app and share your driver’s name, photo, license plate, and location with a friend or family member. Lyft users can tap the “Send ETA” icon on the bottom bar, which will send a text message to family or friends with a link to your current route and location.
• Trust your instincts! If you are uncomfortable with the driver’s behavior or comments or you sense something is not right, don’t get in the car. If you are already in the car, ask to be dropped off and call 911.

— By Bay City News Service