Thieves cut hole in roof of South Bay store, steal electronic goods

A pair of thieves tried to pull off an elaborate heist in Cupertino when they cut a hole in the roof of a Verizon store, disabled the security system and stole $138,000 worth of phones, tablets and Apple products, officials said.

But the alleged culprits were quickly nabbed because their getaway wasn’t as well planned.

Two suspects were stopped shortly after leaving the scene of the crime and Santa Clara County sheriff’s deputies spotted the stolen goods in the backseat of their car, officials said.

The burglary was reported to deputies about 5:51 a.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The suspects, identified as 40-year-old Tan Nguyen of San Jose and 38-year-old Marc Tran of American Canyon, cut a hole in the roof of the Stevens Creek Boulevard store, disabled the alarm, video surveillance and wiring, then entered the building, said Sgt. Rich Glennon, a Sheriff’s Office spokesman. Once inside, the suspects used a saw to cut through a metal door to access the inventory storage room, Glennon said.

They stole a selection of iPads, iPhones, Samsung Galaxy phones and various other Apple products — 189 items in total, with a retail value over $138,000, Glennon said.

After the burglary was reported, sheriff’s deputies made an enforcement stop on a silver Lexus under the Southwest Expressway on Meridian Avenue in San Jose and noticed a heap of Apple products in the backseat, according to Glennon.

Tran and Nguyen were booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail on suspicion of various burglary charges; Tran has since been released on bail, and Nguyen is being held on $120,000 bail, he said.