Car Burglar Arrested For Spree In San Mateo: Police

SAN MATEO, CA — A San Mateo resident was arrested early Wednesday morning in connection with a series of vehicle break-ins, police said.

Angel Vonbardeleben, 25, was taken into custody after a traffic stop, according to the San Mateo Police Department. Police said he was booked into San Mateo County Jail on several counts, including burglary, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of stolen property.

Police received a report of suspicious activity Tuesday on Nash Drive and reviewed surveillance footage of the area and saw a man parking a car on Nash Drive around 3:44 a.m. and checking multiple car door handles in the area.

Video footage showed the suspect entering a car, searching the interior and trunk, and then returning to his car with several stolen backpacks and other items, police said.

Police said they identified Vonbardeleben as the suspect and entered his vehicle’s information into the Automated License Plate Reader system, police said.

At 2:39 a.m. on Wednesday, the suspect's car triggered an ALPR alert near 3rd Avenue and S. Humboldt Street. Officers located the vehicle near N. Delaware Street and Indian Avenue, police said.

During a search of the car, officers discovered clothing believed to have been worn during the burglary, tools used for break-ins, stolen property linked to at least three separate thefts, drug paraphernalia, and controlled substances, including one without a valid prescription, police said.

Vonbardeleben was arrested and transported to the San Mateo County Jail, police said.