Wary homeowner lies to police about being home — and a burglar escapes, CA cops say

A San Mateo homeowner’s fib to officers about being home led to a burglar’s escape, California police reported.

Police responded to a burglar alarm at 9:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, and spotted movement inside the home, a San Mateo news release said.

They called the homeowner, who reported they were at home, police said, and officers left the scene. But it turned out the home had been burglarized.

By the time police returned, the burglar had fled, the release said. The homeowner told officers they lied about being home because they did not believe the call actually came from police.

“These costly minutes allowed for the home to be burglarized and for the bad guy to get away,” police wrote.

San Mateo police encourage anyone who doubts the authenticity of a call to ask for the officer’s name and badge number.

Or call back on the police non-emergency line at 650-522-7700 to double-check with dispatchers, the release said.

San Mateo is a city of 760,000 about 20 miles south of San Francisco.

This story was originally published October 2, 2022 at 4:48 PM with the headline "Wary homeowner lies to police about being home — and a burglar escapes, CA cops say."