Crime & Safety

Suspected Car Thief is Taken Into Custody

Several Car burglaries and thefts have been linked to a 21-year-old.

A 21-year-old man suspected of burglarizing several vehicles in Grand Terrace and surrounding communities was in jail Friday.

Andrew Nathan Vera was already in custody when officials linked him to the burglaries, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s officials said.

Deputies launched an investigation after getting several reports of vehicle burglaries in the area of 12700 block of Vivienda Avenue in Grand Terrace. The break-ins occurred around Feb. 12. Investigators said the thief would pry open the window or pick the door lock and either take property or the car itself.

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While trying to steal one car, the thief injured himself and left behind a bloody knife, officials said.

Deputy Richard Daniel took a report and collected blood from the scene. On May 19, the Sheriff’s Scientific Investigations Division got a DNA hit on Vera. Shortly after, detectives learned Vera was in custody in a Riverside County jail.

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San Bernardino detectives interviewed Vera and have linked him to several vehicle burglaries, officials said.

He will stay in the custody of Riverside County while San Bernardino detectives submit their report to the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office for review, sheriff’s officials said.


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