Over the past month, Fremont PD Detectives have been investigating several incidents of vandalism where phone lines and fiber optic lines were cut in a residential neighborhood, which disrupted service to several thousand residents. Each time a vandalism incident occurred, the damaged lines caused outages where residents could not access the internet and make phone calls, including calling 911. Comcast/Xfinity, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon were the companies affected by the vandalism to the telecommunication lines, which resulted in approximately three hundred thousand dollars in damage.
Fremont PD Detectives spent numerous hours following investigative leads in an attempt to identify the suspect or suspects responsible for the vandalism. Detectives ultimately identified Roshan Patel (46 years old, resident of Fremont) as the suspect in at least two incidents of vandalism involving cut phone lines and fiber optic lines. On September 28, 2022, Patel was arrested by Fremont PD Detectives for Penal Code 591 – disabling a telephone line and Penal Code 594(b)(1) – vandalism. FPD Detectives are continuing to pursue investigative leads and this case remains active.
A photo of Patel is included in this press release.
The case was presented to Alameda County District Attorney's Office. Patel was subsequently charged with four felony counts, including Penal Code 594(b)(1) and Penal Code 591. Patel is currently in custody at Santa Rita Jail. A court date has been set where Patel will be held to answer for the listed charges.
If you have information regarding vandalism of telecommunication lines in the area of Mission Boulevard and Cougar Drive, please contact Detective Travis Macdonald at 510-790-6900, or email [email protected].
Incident: Suspect Charged in Vandalism Targeting Telecommunication Lines
Date of Incident: September 28, 2022
Location: Area of Mission Boulevard and Cougar Drive
Media Contact: Sgt. Kim Macdonald, [email protected]
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