Suspect Breaks into Vehicle While Pretending to be a Mourner
at a U.S. Marine Funeral
An auto burglar who preys on those attending funerals was arrested by Glendora police detectives this morning during a search warrant at a residence in Chino. Police arrested Jose Angel Abrajan, 31, for suspicion of grand theft that occurred on June 18th at Oakdale Cemetery, 1401 S. Grand Avenue, Glendora.
Abrajan is suspected of breaking into a vehicle while pretending to be a mourner at a funeral of a former U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran. Family members learned of the crime after the funeral when the daughter of the marine realized her purse had been stolen from inside her SUV. Not until the family reviewed photographs that were taken during the funeral that it was discovered the suspect could be seen in the photographs breaking into the SUV. In the foreground of the images, a U.S. Marine honor detail is shown folding the casket flag and a U.S. Marine playing taps. Several hours after the crime, a surveillance video captured Abrajan attempting to purchase food at a local In-N-Out using the victim’s stolen credit card.
Glendora police detectives traced the suspect’s vehicle to a home in Chino and served a search warrant this morning. Detectives arrested Abrajan and also recovered a large amount of stolen property, including purses and cell phones, at the residence. Abrajan is currently on probation for possession of stolen property. He is being held at the Glendora police city jail on $45,000 bail.
“This is a despicable crime to steal from people during an emotionally vulnerable time,” said Glendora Police Chief Rob Castro. “I’m proud of the tenacious investigative work done by our detectives in capturing Abrajan and hopefully sending him to jail for a long time.”
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