Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

USD Student's Police Work Leads to Recovery of Stolen Laptop

Two students at the University of San Diego were recently the victims of electronics theft, the USD Vista reports.

Both students reported that their items, a digital camera and a laptop, went missing shortly after encounters with a woman described as about 5’2” with brown hair and glasses during the evening of February 9.

Sophmore Jeffrey Zhu, owner of the laptop, reports police were less than helpful in attempting to locate his computer. Zhu says he initially contacted a Public Safety officer on campus, who “sounded really nice and sounded like he wanted to get my laptop back.”

Zhu then activated Hidden, an app he’d downloaded to his computer that was programmed to randomly take photographs of whoever was using the device and broadcast them, along with GPS coordinates, to his cell phone. He used the program to obtain pictures of a male suspect working on his computer, as well as the address of an apartment complex.

“After I got all of that good stuff I called the San Diego Police Department and they were not helpful,” Zhu told the Vista. “They said that they couldn't just ‘knock on doors' for me. Then I called Public Safety and they said that they couldn't do anything if the address was off-campus.”

Zhu took his photos to the apartment building himself and contacted the building manager, who confirmed the identity of the suspect as a resident and provided Zhu with the suspect’s contact information. The manager’s wife pointed out that the suspect’s car was in the parking lot, indicating that he was likely home at the time.

“So I called the SDPD and I told them that I had done all of this work and I had all of the information and proof,” says Zhu. “I told them that they didn't have to knock on any doors. So they finally sent the cops over and the guy happened to be leaving [his apartment] at that moment.”

Police searched the apartment and recovered the stolen laptop. No word was given on whether the camera stolen from sophomore Marc Gonzales had been located.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Colorado governor Polis’ days in La Jolla canyons

Why Kamala might not run for Calif. governor

Two students at the University of San Diego were recently the victims of electronics theft, the USD Vista reports.

Both students reported that their items, a digital camera and a laptop, went missing shortly after encounters with a woman described as about 5’2” with brown hair and glasses during the evening of February 9.

Sophmore Jeffrey Zhu, owner of the laptop, reports police were less than helpful in attempting to locate his computer. Zhu says he initially contacted a Public Safety officer on campus, who “sounded really nice and sounded like he wanted to get my laptop back.”

Zhu then activated Hidden, an app he’d downloaded to his computer that was programmed to randomly take photographs of whoever was using the device and broadcast them, along with GPS coordinates, to his cell phone. He used the program to obtain pictures of a male suspect working on his computer, as well as the address of an apartment complex.

“After I got all of that good stuff I called the San Diego Police Department and they were not helpful,” Zhu told the Vista. “They said that they couldn't just ‘knock on doors' for me. Then I called Public Safety and they said that they couldn't do anything if the address was off-campus.”

Zhu took his photos to the apartment building himself and contacted the building manager, who confirmed the identity of the suspect as a resident and provided Zhu with the suspect’s contact information. The manager’s wife pointed out that the suspect’s car was in the parking lot, indicating that he was likely home at the time.

“So I called the SDPD and I told them that I had done all of this work and I had all of the information and proof,” says Zhu. “I told them that they didn't have to knock on any doors. So they finally sent the cops over and the guy happened to be leaving [his apartment] at that moment.”

Police searched the apartment and recovered the stolen laptop. No word was given on whether the camera stolen from sophomore Marc Gonzales had been located.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Stolen iPhone leads to arrest of a man accused of multiple burglaries

Next Article

Hot prowling and burglaries in Normal Heights

Victims at home asleep
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader