Police are asking for the public’s help to identify this man in connection with an auto burglary last week. Image: BPD
Police are asking for the public’s help to identify this man in connection with an auto burglary last week. Image: BPD

The Berkeley Police Department has released two photographs of a man investigators say burglarized a parked car in January, and is asking for help from the community to identify him.

In a statement released Wednesday, BPD said the man burglarized a car in a parking lot in the 900 block of Heinz Avenue last week Thursday, Feb. 9, between 6:30 and 7 p.m.

He was filmed by surveillance cameras twice driving what police said was “the same getaway vehicle,” which appears to be a newer model, black Mercedes four-door sedan with paper plates and chrome rims.

Surveillance first caught the man one night in January, police said, casing cars in the same West Berkeley parking lot.

Police are asking for the public’s help to identify this man. Image: BPD
Police are asking for the public’s help to identify this man. Image: BPD

Police described the alleged auto burglar as a heavyset black man with a dark complexion who could be from 22 to 32 years old.

In the photograph from Feb. 9 he’s wearing a “Kansas City Royals” baseball cap, and a black jacket with a white logo over a white T-shirt, police said.

In the picture from January, he’s wearing a blue-and-red hooded sweatshirt over a white hat.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the man’s identity to call the Berkeley Police property crimes detail at 510-981-5737.

Emilie Raguso (former senior editor, news) joined Berkeleyside in 2012 and covered politics, public safety and development until her departure in 2022. In 2017, Emilie was named Journalist of the Year...