PALO ALTO (KRON) — Detectives have busted two of three Bloomingdale’s jewelry burglars, the third burglar remains at large.
Detectives have largely solved this 2015 case where a team of burglars drove a stolen SUV through the front glass doors of Bloomingdale’s overnight and stole a large amount of jewelry.
Two arrests have been made and police are asking for the public’s help in locating a third suspect. The third suspect now has a felony warrant for his arrest.
On Wednesday, May 13, 2015, at about 4:14 a.m., Palo Alto 24-hour dispatch center was notified of a burglary that had occurred just after 4:00 a.m. at Bloomingdale’s at Stanford Shopping Center located at 180 El Camino Real.
Surveillance video showed that the suspects had driven a stolen SUV through the front glass doors to make entry before the three suspects ran inside, smashed several glass jewelry display cases, and absconded with a large quantity of jewelry.
An officer later located the unoccupied SUV, which has been reported stolen the day before, in the 200 block of Palo Alto Avenue.
The value of the stolen jewelry exceeded $125,000. The estimated damage to the front doors of Bloomingdale’s and destroyed jewelry cases exceeded $55,000.
Detectives immediately began investigating the case, and through forensic evidence obtained from the inside of the recovered stolen vehicle, identified one of the suspects in July 2015 as Bobby Donald Burke, 34-year-old male of Antioch. Detectives immediately be obtained a search warrant for his residence in the 400 block of Grangnelli Avenue. On July 15, 2015, detectives searched his home pursuant to the warrant and recovered a watch that had been stolen during the Bloomingdale’s burglary. At the time, Burke was in custody in the Contra Costa County Main Jail for an unrelated offense.
Through ongoing investigation, detectives conducted probation searches related to this case at two residences in Hayward in October 2015. At a home in the 200 block of Culp Avenue, detectives recovered a bracelet that had been stolen during the Bloomingdale’s burglary. Detectives developed additional information that led them to identify two additional suspects, a father and a son, in the case. About three months later, in January 2016, detectives obtained arrest warrants charging both men with felonies of commercial burglary, grand theft, and vandalism.
On January 27, 2016, detectives arrested 49-year-old James Edward Sandoval of Hayward at Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail when he was released for unrelated charges, and booked him into the Santa Clara County Main Jail pursuant to the arrest warrant.
The third suspect, 30-year-old Joseph Daniel Sandoval of Hayward, is currently at large and is wanted pursuant to this arrest warrant. Detectives have been searching for Joseph Daniel Sandoval since obtaining the warrant but have yet to find him. Palo Alto police are asking for the public’s help in locating him, his current whereabouts are unknown.
Detectives believe that a fourth suspect, a female, also participated in this burglary. Detectives are continuing to investigate the case in an attempt to identify her.
Anyone with information about this incident, or Sandoval’s current whereabouts, is asked to call Palo Alto’s 24-hour dispatch center at 650-329-2413. Anonymous tips can be e-mailed to paloalto@tipnow.org or sent via text message or voice mail to 650-383-8984. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through our free mobile app, downloadable at bit.ly/PAPD-AppStore or bit.ly/PAPD-GooglePlay.
