After several personal and company belongings were stolen from San Jose Fire Station 8 last Saturday night, the firehouse will look to increase security, fire officials said.
According to the fire department, firefighters returning to the station in the 800 block of East Santa Clara Street at around 7 p.m. on Saturday night noticed that the front door, which had been locked, was kicked in. When they entered, they found a man inside, and the station appeared to have been rummaged through, with several items missing. Police stated that several thousand dollars worth of stolen and vandalized property were reported and recovered.
Fire station officials said the man fled the station upon discovery. He was followed to a nearby creek, where many of the missing items, including two laptops and a set of keys, were found. The fire department said that it appeared the man had taken multiple trips from the station to the creek.
Police confirmed that the suspect was a San Jose resident. Police took him into custody and booked him into Santa Clara County Main Jail.
“Our firefighters put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe, and we need to return the favor,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan. “I’m proud of our police department for arresting the alleged perpetrator and recovering some of the personal belongings that were stolen.”
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The fire station door was boarded up after the break-in. Fire Chief Robert Sapien Jr. stated that the police believe this was an isolated incident. Fire Station 8 was last broken into in 2021.
“The San José Fire Department will be reassessing security procedures to confirm best practices are followed to ensure the safety of employees and protect critical infrastructure, which is integral in providing life-safety services to the San José community,” Sapien Jr. stated.
The station is moving a few blocks away, to the 600 block of East Santa Clara Street. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last October for the new station, which is still under construction. The move is part of Measure T, which San Jose voters approved in 2018. It authorized the city to build two new fire stations and relocate two others.
