By Khalida Sarwari
De Anza College psychology professor Mark Healy lived in Oakland for over a dozen years and not once was he the victim of a burglary. Within just days of moving into his new house in Saratoga, he came home one day to find his bedroom ransacked and his wife’s jewelry–including a ring he’d gifted her on Valentine’s Day years ago–missing. The worst part is, this isn’t the first time his house was targeted, he says.
Healy moved with his wife and 6-year-old son to a home on Sobey Road in mid-July so that both he and his wife, an executive at a tech firm in Mountain View, could be closer to their work. It was all positive until July 25, when he arrived home with his son a little past 4 p.m. and saw his bedroom in disarray.
“They tore up the master bedroom,” he said. “They had all the drawers open–clothes all thrown out of them–and a bunch of boxes in the closets were opened with stuff thrown out of them. They must have been pretty disappointed.”
Disappointed or not, the thieves did manage to make off with a diamond and sapphire ring and other assorted jewelry belonging to his wife. That’s what he remembered to email the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office later, but said he has yet to receive a response from them.
“There’s been no follow-up since July 25, which I’m kind of surprised about,” he said. “I thought there might be some sort of circling back.”
Healy did, however, commend the sheriff’s office for their quick response after he called 911.
When Healy brought up the incident to his landlord, the landlord mentioned that the house had been the target of two burglaries in the past seven months: Once in the winter when it was being remodeled, someone had lifted plumbing supplies, and in early July, weeks before the Healys moved in, the landlord’s two patio chairs were plucked from in front of the home.
The Healys lived in Oakland for 13 years and had their share of problems with litter and “sketchy sorts of dudes” hanging out in the area, but didn’t have to contend with a person climbing into their home through a kitchen window in broad daylight, as it appears to have been the case in Saratoga.
“I wonder if the house is vulnerable by its location or somehow seems attractive to burglars,” he said. “I’m not sure; it seems odd. It’s strange that we would be targeted like this.”
He acknowledged that his gripe isn’t so much about the loss of the chairs and the ring (which he estimated to be worth no more than $1,000), as much as living with a new sense of paranoia. He said that for a week after the burglary, he was unable to sleep.
“I just feel like we got cheated out of the benefit of living here, because you’re supposed to feel safe,” he said. “I might as well be living in San Francisco or Oakland.”
San Francisco, Oakland or Saratoga, the reality is burglaries can and do happen anywhere, said sheriff’s Sgt. Kurtis Stenderup. Especially in the summertime, “residential burglaries do tend to spike,” he said, citing longer days and people being away for weeks at a time, leaving their homes vulnerable to theft, as factors.
“If a thief wants to break into your house, they’re going to get in,” Stenderup said. “But we tell people there’s things you can do.”
Some of those measures include installing security cameras, proper lighting and an alarm system and taking advantage of the sheriff’s office patrol check service. Keeping digital evidence of jewelry and other valuables can also aid investigators if they go missing.
Said Stenderup, “It’s not a 100 percent guarantee, but the more layers you have, the more protected you are from [burglaries] happening.”
He also encouraged people to report burglaries, no matter how small. Healy said all but the theft of the patio chairs was reported to authorities. Stenderup said he found a report only for the latest burglary.
“If we would’ve known that his residence had been burglarized before, those may be clues that may lead us to something,” he said.
He advised anyone who’s been a victim of a burglary to report all incidents and get a case number, which has a twofold benefit: It helps residents keep track of the investigation and helps investigators identify potential trends.
“I can’t promise we’re going to solve everything, but at minimum we can log it and if it comes back, we now at least know,” he said.
Stenderup said the investigation into the burglary at the Healy residence is active. It’s not common for investigators to check in with victims until there is a breakthrough in the case, he said. There’s no set timeline for these types of investigations as each is dependent upon the strength of the evidence.
“There’s got to be a little patience involved,” he said, while acknowledging that he understands Healy’s frustration. “It’s unfortunate, and I feel bad for the person. He has every right to feel this way.”
For now, Healy said he and his family will just have to keep their windows closed during the day and night and worry a little every time a car lingers a few seconds longer when it passes by his house. He is considering installing an alarm or cameras to ward off potential burglars.
As unpleasant as this experience has been, it hasn’t deterred the Healys from feeling welcome in their new city. He raved about Saratoga’s “neighborly atmosphere” and said his family is glad they made the move.
“We want to settle here for a while, and we’re not going to let a little problem sour us on the area,” he said.
Still, he can’t help but wonder how seriously the city and sheriff’s office take property crimes or how much time they allocate to investigating them.
“I think there are probably strategies to deal with property crime that the city just ignores because they would rather have this image of being this perfect little place,” he said.
New Saratoga resident is worried his home is a target for burglars
