Tool Thieves Caught In Stolen Car: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — Two East Bay men and a juvenile suspect were arrested Thursday after police in San Mateo allege they broke into a work truck and fled the scene in a stolen car.

According to police, a 911 caller reported an active vehicle burglary around 1:17 a.m. Tuesday on North Bayshore Boulevard. Police said the suspects broke the window of a utility truck and attempted to steal tools. While officers were en route, the trio got into a Dodge Charger with paper license plates and fled the scene.

Officers arrived at the scene and secured camera footage of the suspects and vehicle, locating it roughly 30 minutes later near Hillsdale Boulevard and South Norfolk Street.

According to investigators, the driver sped onto Highway 101 after seeing police cruisers and merged onto eastbound Highway 92 before they were stopped by officers near the Edgewater exit.

Police said the Charger was reported stolen in Fremont, and officers discovered a cache of suspected stolen tools, tools bags, and toolboxes in the backseat of the car. The department identified the driver as Javier Macias, 24, of Hayward, and the adult passenger as Ernesto Torres, 25, of Oakland. The underage suspect was also taken into custody.

Both men were booked into jail on suspicion of multiple crimes, including possession of a stolen vehicle, second-degree burglary, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police are working to determine the rightful owners of the stolen items and ask anyone who had their tools taken on the evening of Nov. 18 or the morning of Nov. 19 to reach out to the department.