SANTA BARBARA, CA — September 14, 2026 — In the pre-dawn hours of September 9, a string of burglaries occurred at a student
housing complex on Santa Barbara’s Mesa, where someone entered 14 unlocked
apartments and stole property from residents.
Ryder Jay Gage, 19, of Santa Barbara, was identified as the suspect.
According to Santa Barbara Police Department spokesman Lt. Ethan Ragsdale, a 911
call to the SBPD Dispatch Center just after 3 a.m. reporting a suspicious person
apparently tampering with vehicles at a beach area apartment complex brought patrol
units to the scene quickly, but no suspect was found.
The immediately ensuing investigation indicated the extent of the crimes involving
multiple pieces of stolen property nearby and two missing vehicles.
An arrest warrant for Gage was issued. Late on the afternoon of September 11,
officers handling an unrelated call in downtown Santa Barbara spotted Gage,
promptly made contact and took him into custody without incident.
Gage was transported to Santa Barbara County Jail, where he was booked on charges of
burglary, vehicle theft, vandalism and grand theft. Gage remains in custody on a no-bail
hold.
– by F. Scott Faulkner
