San Mateo County Authorities Arrest Suspect in Caltrain Bicycle Theft Investigation
SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — “Deputies with the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office on Monday arrested a suspect in connection with nearly a dozen bicycle thefts from Caltrain over a three-month period.
Between May and August 2026, deputies responded to 10 separate reports of bicycle thefts from Caltrain.
Deputies began an investigation into the thefts and, with assistance from video provided by Caltrain from inside the train, identified the suspect as 28-year-old Jesus S. Molina-Barajas of East Palo Alto. Molina-Barajas was arrested in September 2025 in connection with a previous bicycle theft.
Deputies obtained an arrest warrant and on August 31 located Molina-Barajas at a hotel in Hayward, where he was taken into custody without incident.
Molina-Barajas was subsequently arrested and booked into the Maguire Correctional Facility on multiple counts of PC 487(a) – Grand Theft of Personal Property and PC 484(a) – Petty Theft.
The Sheriff’s Office is contracted by Caltrain to provide policing services along the transit corridor, which serves passengers from San Francisco to Gilroy.
According to Caltrain, the transit agency supports approximately 1.8 million bicycle trips each year. The Sheriff’s Office works collaboratively with Caltrain to deter bicycle thefts and encourages community members to report suspicious activity by calling the Sheriff’s Office at 650-363-4911.”
