Belmont Police Warn of Six Car Thefts Over Weekend

Six thefts from unlocked vehicles occurred in Belmont over the weekend, according to the Police Department.

The thefts all took place between Saturday night and Monday morning, police said.

Four of the thefts happened in the area of Casa Bona and Ponce Avenues, and the other two were in the area of North Road, according to police.

The department sent out a non-emergency alert email about 5:30 p.m. Monday evening reminding residents to keep valuables out of sight and to always lock their car doors.

Lt. Pat Halleran said the crimes are ones of opportunity.

"These thieves aren't breaking windows, they aren't forcing locks," Halleran said, but are instead taking advantage of people keeping their cars unlocked.

Residents have reported missing small items that thieves can grab quickly, like a GPS unit, cell phone, purse, laptop or loose change.

"We're working as hard as we can to catch these people,"Halleran said, including deploying both marked and unmarked police patrols at night and stopping suspicious persons on the street.

But he added that officers can't be everywhere at once and that on dark, narrow, tree-lined streets, it can be easy for suspects to spot the headlights of an approaching patrol car and run.

Therefore, Belmont police is urging everyone to report suspicious activity to the department at 650-595-7400 or to the anonymous tip line at 650-598-3000. If residents witness a crime in progress, call 911.