SMPD Arrests Serial Burglary Suspect

SAN MATEO, CA — Investigators in San Mateo recently arrested a Daly City man accused in a series of home burglaries around the city in recent days, officials announced Sunday.

The first incident was reported last Wednesday morning at a home on Los Prados Street, where police said the man used a brick to shatter a window. The homeowner confronted the suspect, who fled the scene, and provided police with surveillance footage.

Early Saturday police responded to a similar incident on Norfolk Street, where investigators said a man threw a rock through a sliding glass apartment window but ran away when he discovered someone was home. Officers at the scene learned a neighboring apartment was burglarized just a few moments earlier. Police were able to get a clear photo of the suspect.

Within a couple of hours, officers were called to another incident at an apartment on Park Place. The victims there said they interrupted the man as he rummaged through their home. The suspect description and surveillance footage matched the previous incidents, and investigators tracked down a witness who saw someone similar running toward the Hillsdale Shopping Center.

Police said the suspect was seen at a train platform, and multiple officers moved in to apprehend the man. Investigators identified the man accused as Victor Bell, 29, of Daly City. The investigation remains open as detectives work with Foster City police to determine if he may be linked to similar nearby burglaries, including others within San Mateo.