Suspect using Airbnb arrested
Piedmont officers say man threw jewelry bag from window in home
PIEDMONT — A man who fraudulently rented a home through Airbnb tossed a bag containing jewelry that he stole from the residence from an upstairs window when officers showed up to question him, police said.
Elisel Jesus Navarro, 18, of Hayward, was arrested Saturday after he used someone else’s stolen personal information to reserve the residence in the 100 block of Sharon Avenue, police said.
The victim provided Navarro with the house keys before learning from Airbnb, an online company that allows people to list and find vacation homes, that the reservation was fraudulent, Piedmont police Capt. Jeremy Bowers said.
When Navarro was arrested, he was also allegedly in possession of property that was stolen from a vehicle in San Ramon on Friday. He told police he purchased the personal information that he used to reserve the home through Airbnb, Bowers said.
Officers were dispatched to the residence about 11:20 a.m., and one officer saw Navarro throw the bag containing the victim’s jewelry from the window after they set up a perimeter, police said. Navarro then ran out the front door when he realized that police were outside and was detained a short distance away, Bowers said.
Investigators are now working with Airbnb to find out if Navarro may have attempted to reserve or has stayed at other homes through the online company, Bowers said.
Navarro has prior arrests in Alameda County for residential burglary, drugs and auto theft, police said.
Piedmont police ask anyone with information on the case to call Detective Robert Coffey at 510-420-3010.