Fremont police arrest suspect in string of mail thefts

Fremont police on Tuesday arrested a 44-year-old Fremont man suspected in a series of mail thefts.

Carlos Lopez, described by police as a transient, was arrested by undercover detectives from the department’s Special Operations Division in the parking lot of the Home Depot in Newark.

Lopez had been identified following an investigation in the theft of mail from two United States Postal Service mail trucks, as well breaking into the mailroom of the Archstone Apartments in the 39000 block of Civic Center Drive.

Police said surveillance video helped investigators identify vehicles they say Lopez used, including a stolen U-Haul pickup truck with its bed full of stolen mail.

Police say Lopez burglarized the apartment complex mailboxes several times during the past month and that images from video cameras there helped identify him as a suspect.

Police said in an advisory:

“Detectives also learned that Lopez was wanted for several warrants including a burglary warrant out of Milpitas, a possession of a stolen vehicle warrant from San Jose, and a probation violation warrant.”

Undercover detectives searched for Lopez in several cities and tracked him down in Newark, where he was taken into custody.

He was booked into the Fremont City Jail for two counts of mail theft and the outstanding warrants. His arraignment is scheduled for Thursday.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective Matthew Floresca at (510) 790-6900 or mfloresca@fremont.gov.