Chaos unfolded on a San Mateo street yesterday when a gray Ford Explorer hit a parked catering trailer after sideswiping an unoccupied vehicle. The incident, which occurred on the 100 block of 16th Ave., left a string of damaged cars in its wake, including rear-end damage to another parked automobile. The San Mateo Police Department responded to the crash, but the driver had fled the scene before their arrival.
Local witnesses steered officers to an apartment complex on the 1400 block of S. B St., seeking the hit-and-run driver. Despite the efforts and resources poured into establishing a perimeter, the suspect remained elusive. However, in conversation with the suspect's roommate, as per the San Mateo Police Department, the officers revealed that the Ford Explorer was taken without permission, prompting the roommate to report the vehicle stolen.
Later that day, at approximately 4:28 p.m., police received a tip about a suspicious person in the 1600 block of S. El Camino Real. There, they encountered Miguel Garcia, who matched the description of the driver involved in the earlier crash. Garcia, displaying minor injuries consistent with the accident, was subsequently arrested and charged with hit-and-run and vehicle theft. Paramedics attended to his injuries on the spot before he was brought into custody at San Mateo County Jail.
Miguel Garcia, the 38-year-old San Mateo resident now in custody, faces specific charges of hit and run with property damage and vehicle theft.
