Armed carjackers have recently been targeting drivers in Castro Valley, as evident from an incident captured on a neighbor’s surveillance cameras. The footage shows the culprits prowling the streets early Tuesday morning, searching for potential victims.
One incident occurred at 6:20 a.m., showing the assailants targeting a woman backing her car out of her driveway. When asked whether a carjacking at such an early hour in Castro Valley is unusual, Alameda County Sheriff’s spokesperson Lt. Tya Modeste responded, “Nothing is unusual right now.”
According to Modeste, minutes before the carjacking on Sydney Way, there was an unsuccessful carjacking attempt by suspects fitting the same description. The attempted carjacking occurred at a Mobile gas station in the same neighborhood on Lake Chabot Road.
The victim noticed a silver sedan parked in front of her attempting to block her path. Fearing for her safety, she smartly maneuvered around the vehicle and managed to call law enforcement for help.
Investigators later discovered that the silver 2014 Hyundai Elantra used in both incidents was previously reported stolen from Hayward. This vehicle was left abandoned in the middle of the street after a black 2016 Nissan Sentra was forcefully taken. Fortunately, no one was injured during these incidents.
Descriptions of the five suspects are extremely limited due to the masks they were wearing. Alameda County Sheriff’s detectives are currently following up on several leads in these two incidents.
Anyone with information about these crimes is encouraged to contact the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.