Police Issue Warning about Gold Chain Robberies in Union City

Information from the Union City Police Department—

The Union City Police Department is requesting assistance from the public in regard to two recent strong arm robberies that have occurred in the past 3-4 weeks. We would also like to inform the public of these incidents so that they are aware of local activity and can be vigilant in protecting themselves from similar crimes.

The first robbery occurred on Wednesday, May 14 on Horner Street in Union City. The victim was a 35 year old Indian female wearing a 24 carat gold chain. She was retrieving property from her vehicle when approached by a 22-25 year old Hispanic male who was about 5’09, 190 pounds, with black hair, brown eyes, and a goatee. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and a black-colored baseball cap while riding a black 10-speed style bicycle.

The suspect engaged her in conversation and when she was distracted, he grabbed her necklace and pulled it off her neck. The suspect fled the area on his bike, southbound on Fredi Street and onto Alvarado Blvd. where she lost sight of him. Due to the victim’s attire, the necklace was visible to the suspect at the time of this contact.

The second robbery occurred on Saturday, May 31 at 3:10 p.m. in the area of Fredi Street and Victoria Avenue, Union City. The victim was a 50 year old Indian female wearing a 24 carat gold necklace. 

She was walking with a friend when the suspect walked up beside her and grabbed the chain without saying anything. He ran northbound on Fredi Street toward Las Palmas Way and out of the victim’s view. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male 20-25 years old, 6’00, 200 lbs, wearing an army green colored hooded sweatshirt with the hood up and blue jeans. 

UCPD detectives are seeking any information and potential witnesses that may have been in the area when these crimes occurred. The Union City Police Department monitors criminal activity in neighboring jurisdictions and has seen a recent increase in this type of crime.

Please call your local police department if you observe suspicious activity. It appears that these are crimes of opportunity where the victims’ property was easily visible and the suspects are aware of the high value of such items.