Police looking for park plank pilferer
Wood found missing from benches and tables at city parks
SANMATEO» Missing: Several 6-foot planks of “good quality wood.”
Last seen: In San Mateo park benches and tables.
Police in San Mateo are investigating the theft of several wood planks from park benches and picnic tables in two parks over the span of a few days earlier this month.
It started on the morning of March 15, when a city parks employee noticed a plank had been removed from a bench at Ryder Park, at 1801 J. Hart Clinton Drive.
The following day, an additional three tables and benches were found to be missing wood planks, police said in a statement Monday.
Police then received another theft report on March 19, when it was discovered planks had been taken out of three picnic tables and two picnic benches at Beresford Park, at 2720 Alameda de las Pulgas.
An unidentified man disabled a park security camera, but not before it captured his image, police said. Just before 1 a.m., cameras recorded a man in both the playground and picnic areas.
“The light-skinned male appears to have short dark hair and was wearing a two-toned baseball hat with light-colored front emblem, a yellowish plaid button front shirt, a greenish jacket with dark trim, and dark pants, shoes and gloves,” police said.
The man was wearing a mask and carrying a black bag and cellphone, and police are asking the public for help in identifying him.
“The wood stolen was good quality wood, approximately 6 feet long,” police said.
The theft of the wood and damage to the security camera caused hundreds of dollars’ to city property, police said.
Anyone with information related to the case can submit an anonymous crime tip at tinyurl.com/SMPDTips or by calling the police department’s secret witness line at 650-522-7676.